Soon it will be time for the third festival in our tetralogy, which will focus on the four directions of the weather. The starting point is Gothenburg – Sweden’s gateway to the wider world! In 2019, we went westwards with the theme m/s Transatlantic. The inspiration was Gothenburg’s great American ships and the emigration to the USA in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 2020, the East India Company’s voyages to Asia in the 18th century set the tone for the theme Eastwards. In 2021, the tetralogy took a year’s break in favour of a streamed festival programme that shone in the January darkness with Frontside light- Let the music sound!
In 2022, Frontside will be carried the south by a warm breeze with the theme South Winds. Ancient sounds, traditional chamber music repertoire and contemporary music from Spain, Italy, Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela in particular bring southern flavours to the festival. Composers include Heitor Villa-Lobos, Joaquín Turina, Salvatore Sciarrino, Alberto Ginastera, Luigi Boccherini, Ástor Piazzolla, Jenny Hettne, Malin Bång and Victor Varela. We look forward to three world premieres by Gothenburg composer Ida Lundén and the Spanish composers Francesco Coll and Manuel Martínez Burgos.
Participants include an international cast of musicians such as the Spanish ARD award-winning wind quintet Azahar Ensemble, the string trio Trio Boccherini, pianist Francisca Skoogh, guitarist Jacob Kellerman, Spanish multi-instrumentalist Abraham Cupeiro, Duo Ego and Norrbotten NEO. Gothenburg-based Dream Orchestra, included young refugees from f e Syria and Afghanistan led by Ron Alvarez from Venezuela, returns to us in a family concert after the success of 2019.
This year, the festival will be placed in Kronhuset’s fantastic premises. Said to be Gothenburg’s oldest building, Kronhuset reminds us of Gothenburg’s fascinating history. At the same time, the building is located in the middle of the city’s modern bustle. A combination that suits Frontside – living in the present, looking backwards and forwards.