Culture Calendar Nov. 9-12
It's mid-November, and boy is that a shitty time of the year. (Yes, December is closing in, but so are exams). Thankfully, the dread isn't absolute: some meticulously selected cultural highlights might lift your mood.
Film Fra Sør, or Films from the South, kicks off Thursday. It's Oslo's biggest film festival: ten glorious days of Asian, African and Latin American quality movies. We could all do with watching something else than the Hollywood machinery. Pick your favourites and dive in!
If by any chance you're into classic rock, know this: Deep Purple has a gig in Oslo this Thursday. Yes, that means you can hear Smoke on the Water live. Enough said. Oslo Spektrum is the place, and you'll need a rather agonising amount of money.
On a different note, the Norwegian national company for contemporary dance, Carte Blanche, is coming to Oslo this weekend. Their show «While they are floating» considers the treatment of refugees and is bound to be a (literally) moving two hours. It runs all weekend at Dansens Hus, so seize the opportunity and go see this brilliant company. Also, use it as an excuse to eat expensive but drool-worthy food at neighbouring Mathallen.
This Saturday is overflowing with good concerts. Sondre Lerche, pop pioneer and a walking definition of «koselig,» plays at Parkteatret. Mike Stern and Dave Weckl, legendary wonder guitarist and wonder drummer respectively, play at Cosmopolite. Into classical? The trio Oslo III play Piazzolla, Rachmaninov and Dvorak at Sentralen. If you're curious about Norwegian folk music, a good place to start is seeing Sinikka Langeland Ensemble and Trio Mediæval at Nasjonal Jazzscene.
Finally, if you just fancy a chill, cheap but proper good daytime concert, get yourself to Oslo Konserthus to see Majken Christiansen & Ulf Johansson Werre. Drink wine, have a croissant and enjoy the jazz.
If you've learnt some Norwegian by now – or perhaps you're just curious about the language – there's a one-day poetry festival, Poesifest, happening at Kulturhuset. From 4:30 p.m. and onwards!
Come Sunday, there is only one place to be: Kulturhuset. (If you went to Poesifest, might as well sleep over). Their monthly event, Soup & Bread, is – well, soup and bread – and a free concert with well-known Norwegian artists. This day it's the amazing Ane Brun, a wise woman with an exquisite voice. Food at 4 p.m., concert at 5 p.m. You pay what you think it's worth, and surplus money goes to charity.
November depression, be gone.
Sinikka Langeland Ensemble and Trio Mediæval
Majken Christiansen and Ulf Johansson Werre