On 7 April 1590, a fierce fire burned at the Nordnes peninsula in Bergen. A large crowd had gathered, and in the flames stood Anne Pedersdotter, accused of witchcraft.

Between 1500 and 1750, around 50,000 people lost their lives during witch trials in Europe. Anne, a woman from Bergen, was one of them.

Edvard Fliflet Bræin’s opera tells her story: a marriage devoid of passion, a stepson her own age, and a mother-in-law from hell. Anne Pedersdotter is an intense family drama exploring guilt, sexuality and jealousy, while also examining collective force, the public gaze and social control.

Although rooted in historical events, the opera feels remarkably contemporary. It is a story about rumours and fake news, about accusations and persuading others.

"We still have witch trials," the composer himself wrote. "Only the masks are different."

Anne Pedersdotter, first performed in 1971, is perhaps the closest thing Norway has to a national opera. The libretto is written by Hans Kristiansen, based on a play by Bergen playwright Hans Wiers-Jenssen which had its world premiere in 1908 at Nationaltheatret in Oslo. Anne Pedersdotter is now being presented in a brand-new production by the award-winning director Maren Bjørseth, with costumes by Alva Brosten, and set and lighting design by Norunn Standal.

For the premiere of this new production, the Norwegian Opera travels from Oslo across the mountains to Bergen, bringing twelve opera soloists, the full opera choir and orchestra under the baton of the Opera’s music director and former chief conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner.

Victoria Randem as Anne Pedersdotter. Photo: Adam Olsson

Contributors