Alexander Rybak: “I have a special relationship to Valdres”
Text to photo: Popular: Alexander Rybak is popular in Valdres. 400-500 came to listen and watch him at Briskeby on Saturday noon.
Source: www.oa.no 23.06.2014. Author and photographer: Ingvar Skattebu. Translation by Tessa Lande. Revision by Anni Jowett
The people in Valdres love Alexander Rybak. And the feelings are mutual.
– I’ve been here on Valdres Sommersymfoni since I was … well … 12 years, maybe? Says Alexander Rybak, who gathered a large audience for an outdoor concert in the centre of Fagernes.
Even in a hectic program, he found time for this concert at Fagernes. Rybak flew in from Ukraine the day before, played in Oslo, then Fagernes, and went straight from Fagernes to Moscow as the next destination.
Pop and Dance
This time he is accompanied by four dancers from Lithuania. He has music on the PC and plays through the list of hits since “Fairytale” it went like an epidemic.
Rybak knows most of the tricks, and he gets the people from Valdres to sing along, clapping, rolling dance and laughter. He also played the new song “Into a Fantasy” from the movie “How to Train Your Dragon 2”.
He brings young local talents on to the stage and praises the dancer Katelin June Haugen for her efforts in the show “Norwegian Talents”.
A special relationship
– I have a special relationship to Valdres. This is where I have kept the most versatile of my concerts. This is where I have had classic courses for children and youth, and put it together to a concert afterwards. This work method I have used in 40 locations in Norway, plus several times abroad, says Rybak backstage after the concert.
Then comes the autograph hunters and anyone else who wants to greet. Rybak knows most of the people. He writes, greets, nods and listens.
In this way he ensures the jump-start of the Sommersymfonien.
Pictures from the concerts in Kirkenær and Fagernes
by Anita Krok, Ingvar Skattebu and Facebook-page of the dance studio “Time to show”
