1B1 Ensemble and Sonoko Miriam Welde
The effervescent string ensemble 1B1 with violinist Sonoko Miriam Welde from Bergen.

For the string players in the Stavanger-based ensemble 1B1, the love of playing and passion for music always come first. Since the ensemble's inception in 2008 they have won a Spelemannspris (the Norwegian Grammy Award), entered the international music scene, and performed with great artists and composers including Arvo Pärt, Benjamin Schmid, Steve Reich and Lars Anders Tomter.

Artistic director and founder Jan Bjøranger claims that the ensemble works and thinks more like a rock band. The members play from memory, and communication and artistic expression trump perfectionism every time. This approach is audible: the ensemble has developed a tight, vibrant sound with a strong rhythmic drive.

In the 2017 Bergen International Festival you can experience 1B1 at a variety of venues. This concert, the first of two in Troldsalen, includes works by Britten, Tchaikovsky, Schnittke and Shostakovich.

'This is how music should be performed and experienced today.' – Cellist Clemens Hagen

1B1 Ensemble
Jan Bjøranger conductor

Sonoko Miriam Welde violin

BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913–1976)
Prelude and Fugue, op. 29

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840–1893)
Souvenir d'un lieu cher, op. 42

ALFRED SCHNITTKE (1934–1998)
Concerto Grosso no. 1

DIMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH (1906–1975)
Chamber Symphony, op. 110

Return transport included: 
Departure from Strandkaien (Tourist information/Food Hall) at 15:00;
Return from Troldhaugen at 17:30

Supported by The Savings Bank Foundation DNB – Dextra and the Anders Sveaas Charitable Foundation.