From April 9th to 16th, the brilliant Norwegian SKASEI String Trio gave their best performance to Chinese music enthusiasts in 3 different cities.

From April 9th to 16th, the brilliant Norwegian SKASEI String Trio gave their best performance to Chinese music enthusiasts in 3 different cities, namely Shanghai, Chongqing and Zhaoqing. Their amazing music and performance cut the cultural distance between two remote nations beyond words. Although the tour has come to an end, the melody still lingers.

The very unique trio is composed of three outstanding musicians who also perform as principle members of the Norway Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. They are Ingerine Dahl, Wouter Raubenheimer and Ilmart Hopkins. In august, 2009, they interpreted "Goldberg Dances" in conjunction with internationally acclaimed Canadian dancer, Kahlil Calder. The show brought them immediate fame and popularity, and surprised even the most defiant critics. They were overwhelmed by positive comments and their style was marked as full of spirit and verve – interpreting the soul of the score – simply spectacular!

For their tour in China, SKASEI String trio arranged several popular pieces, such as: Bach's Goldberg Variations; Sibelius' Trio in G-minor; and Beethoven's String Trio in G-Major. Additionally, the trio improvised a short program of Norwegian Dances "Slatter" by Kyrre Sassebo Haaland and played a couple of compositions especially composed for the string trio by emerging Norway musicians. From Baroque to original Norwegian style, more than 30 variations fully displayed the spectacular skills of the three musicians. The audience was totally absorbed in their musical virtuosity. It is indeed a great display of art combined with beauty – a wonderful experience.

This was the first time for SKASEI String trio to perform in China, all three of the musicians expressed their joy when seeing that string music is no longer a priority or privilege enjoyed solely by the western world; here in China many people show their passion and interest in this music style. Through their performance it is hoped that more and more people can begin to appreciate the pleasing quality and charm of Scandinavian music.