Pinnacles - H?kon Gullv?g and Mariss Jansons 80 years
Written for Latvijas Avize issue 29.12.2023 by Ine M?reng , Norwegian Ambassador to Latvia, in cooperation with Jete Gabriela Rastina and Ineta Balule.??
As Latvians, Norwegians too acknowledge the significance of culture. Culture is a fundamental part of a nation’s DNA and its backbone, based on each individual citizens’ freedom of expression. Across all genres - artists are representatives of a nation’s identity, bridging the past and present, and people across borders. You could even say that artists are ambassadors.???
Thus, more than a year ago when Mr. Jānis Dripe, architect, previous Minister of Culture and Latvian Ambassador, asked for a meeting with the Embassy team, little did we know about the incredible journey we were about to be part of - Pinnacles: H?kon Gullv?g and Mariss Jansons 80. It is one of our most notable projects of showcasing and strengthening Latvian and Norwegian cultural cooperation and celebrating the cultural pinnacles of our two nations, encompassing visual art, music and literature.??
So, what did we embark upon? A celebration of the illustrious Latvian conductor Mariss Jansons on his 80th anniversary. During two decades of those 80 years, he held the esteemed position as the chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic, leaving an indelible imprint not only on the Norwegian music scene but also within our art history.? At this time, Mariss Jansons was painted by the acclaimed contemporary painter H?kon Gullv?g, who is widely recognized for his royal family portraits. Inspired by this confluence of musical and visual artistry, the idea took root: a celebration featuring two concerts and exhibitions showcasing H?kon Gullv?g’s portraits of the conductor.?
From the initial idea of a small exhibition of H?kon Gullv?g’s paintings of the conductor at the National Library, our plans took on a life of their own and expanded as our journey unfolded. On 30 November, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra celebrated Jansons along Latvia's Independence Day in Oslo. The celebration in Riga followed shortly after. It is no small task to bring art across borders. In total more than 120 paintings of Gullv?g came to Riga. The paintings were in Trondheim, nearly 400km from Oslo with an additional 850km from Oslo to Riga.???
The concert and exhibition dedicated to Mariss Jansons took place in the Great Guild on 8 December. Experts on Jansons and notable figures, took to the stage with a preconcert talk moderated by Gunda Vaivode, opening of the exhibition and finally the concert with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the great conductor himself. Among the notable guests were Gidon Kremer, Andris Poga, Chief Conductor of Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, and Elise B?tnes of the Oslo Philharmonic. The latter having had the pleasure of working closely with Jansons during his tenure in Oslo. On the 9 December the second exhibition opened in the Latvian National Library paired with the first ever viewing in Latvia of a documentary of Jansons, among other in cooperation between Latvian National TV ( Latvijas Valsts radio un televīzijas centrs - LTV) and Norwegian National TV - Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) . In this exhibition the Norwegian literature link is added with H?kon Gullv?g’s paintings of Knut Hamsun’s “Pan” and Henriks Ibsen’s “Per Gynt.”?
Just as one concert became two, the exhibitions also grew in number. To quote my friend and colleague Martins Klive , Latvian Ambassador to Norway, it is an Oslo-Riga twin project. The sheer number of partners is a testimony to the magnitude of our joint effort. It would not have been realized without Jānis Dripe, the project initiator and driving force, the Embassy of Latvia in Norway , Latvian National Symphony Orchestra ( LNSO Latvian National Symphony Orchestra ), the Latvian National Library ( Latvijas Nacionālā bibliotēka / National Library of Latvia ), the Oslo Philharmonic ( Oslo-filharmonien ), Elise B?tnes, Andris Poga, Jegors Jerohomovi?s , Gunda Vaivode , Liga Olsen , Indra Lukina, Asnate Sili?a, Krista Vahtele , Norwegian Chamber of Commerce in Latvia , the Ministers of Culture - Lubna Jaffery and Agnese Logina , and many more partners who voluntarily and enthusiastically took part. The Norwegian Business community generously sponsored the project. Huge thanks to Linstow Baltic , Audi Latvija , Livonia Print , DNB Latvia branch , Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA. Finally, I would like to thank the artist H?kon Gullv?g and his manager and life partner Monta Pīlāga for their dedication and active involvement in this project.?
With two exhibitions and two concerts extending over borders and decades, it soon became clear that this had to be documented. This resulted in a catalogue for this project which involved the cooperation of experts, embassies, translators, a photographer, and in the end also forewords from the ministers of culture of both nations.?
This unprecedented collaboration has been nothing short of magnificent. It is a true testament to the ties that culture can create between nations and people -and with very tangible results.? It is not yet over as several art institutions in Latvia made sure to sign on Gullv?g for future cooperation.??
Quoting the Norwegian minister of culture, Lubna Jaffery ; “It is gratifying that Jansons, who devoted so much of his life and contributed significantly to Norwegian music culture, has been immortalized in Norwegian art history”. The same is now true of H?kon Gullv?g when it comes to Latvian art history. One of his paintings of Mariss Jansons will be permanently at home in the Great Guild in Riga. It is H?kon Gullv?g’s first gifted painting to a sovereign nation and a permanent testament of the diplomacy of culture.??
For me as Norwegian Ambassador to Latvia, it is a true honor and joy, to have together with all the dedicated partners, further strengthened the cultural bonds between Norway and Latvia. I warmly recommend you take the trip to the Great Guild after a concert and the National Library to see the temporary exhibitions of H?kon Gullv?g. Or even better, go to Oslo or Trondheim to experience the full scope of Gullv?g’s work.?
We at the embassy look forward to more cultural initiatives and cooperation, in whatever form they may take.
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