Ritual m/Yo-Yo Ma

A tribute to nature with Yo-Yo Ma and marvaða.

"I worry we’ve forgotten that we’re part of nature, how endlessly we are connected to one another and to the planet."

These are the words of Yo-Yo Ma, the world-renowned cellist and one of the greatest musicians of our time. At the 2027 Bergen International Festival, he will bring Ritual to Grieghallen. Ritual is a concert performance commissioned by the cellist and conceived by Arnbjörg María Danielsen with composer Viktor Orri Árnason. It's produced by Yo-Yo Ma and the art studio and production house marvaða.

On a rotating stage, Yo-Yo Ma is joined by young cellists from the Festival Academy of Bergen. Together, they are surrounded by musicians from the BIT20 Ensemble, soloists, and a large choir performing excerpts from the Old Norse poem Völuspá alongside the folk song Fagurt er í fjörðum and a prologue text by the Icelandic author Andri Snær Magnason.

Created in Iceland as an artistic response to the global climate challenges of our time, Ritual is presented in Bergen under the baton of BIT20 Ensemble's Bjarni Frímann, who leads this unique collaboration between Yo-Yo Ma and local performers.

"Music, like all culture, helps us understand our environment, each another, and ourselves. Culture helps us to imagine a better future," says Yo-Yo Ma.

Image: Yo-Yo Ma in Ritual. Photo: marvaða