”Messiaen shone as a fierce defiance against the pandemic.”
Martin Nyström, DN
The 2021 Frontside Festival was possible to experience via livestream directly from Älvsborg Church in the midst of the pandemic, thanks to organist Hans Davidsson and the Älvsborg congregation. The theme was Frontside Light – Let the music sound! The theme reflected on the power of music and its ability to endure in all kinds of situations since ancient times.
One of the festival’s key pieces, strongly tied to its theme, was the French composer Olivier Messiaen’s “Quatuor pour la fin du temps” (Quartet for the End of Time), which was performed on Friday, January 15, precisely 80 years after its premiere.
Messiaen, who was deeply Catholic, completed one of chamber music’s most fascinating and emotionally charged works under extremely difficult conditions as a prisoner of war in the Nazi internment camp Stalag VIII-A near the town of Görlitz in southeastern Germany.
The premiere took place on January 15, 1941, for at least 400 prisoners of war and camp guards. Messiaen himself on the piano and three fellow prisoners on clarinet, violin and cello performed the quartet. Their instruments were in poor condition, missing keys, strings, and pads. It must have been cold. One can hardly imagine the situation.
Messiaen later recalled the event, saying, “Never have I been listened to with such attention and understanding.” The quartet’s clarinetist, Henri Akoka, commented on the piece: “It is the only thing I want to remember from the war!”
If you want to delve deeper into this legendary work, we recommend you to listen to P2 Documentär from 2021.
Frontside has existed since 2019 and is largely driven by volunteer efforts, but we are highly dependent on additional financial sponsors and fundings. All contributions are used to engage fantastic musicians, rents of venues and all other things that make the festival a magical experience.
Welcome as a member of the Frontside Chamber Music Association.
As a member, you will continuously receive our newsletters and advance information about tickets.
If you wish to donate some extra money, it would be greatly appreciated! You will then belong to our Tone-donating members and will continuously receive our newsletters and advance information about tickets, as well as be offered a glass of sparkling wine in a unique meeting with our artists during the festival days.
If you wish to sponsor the festival with larger amounts, we are extremely grateful. You will continuously receive our newsletters and advance information about tickets, as well as be offered a glass of sparkling wine in a unique meeting with our artists during the festival days, and your name will be published (upon agreement) on our website.
Our membership register contains information about names and addresses, in some cases also phone numbers and/or email addresses. The register is used only for sending out membership information. The association will not sell or otherwise share personal information with any other party. Upon leaving the association, the information will be deleted and will only remain in the records that we are required to keep for seven years according to accounting laws. For further information or if you wish to be removed from the register, please contact our treasurer, Catrin Bernsro: catrin@bernsro.se
