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3 BERGEN, NORWAY Edvard

3 BERGEN, NORWAY Edvard Grieg, the Norwegian composer best known for his Piano Concerto in A Minor and Peer Gynt suites, was born in Bergen in 1843. The city hosts an extensive concert series of Grieg’s music in the beautiful surroundings of the medieval Holy Church of the Cross each summer, but there is also plenty to occupy music fans year-round. The composer lived in the same house on his Troldhaugen estate, just outside Bergen’s city center, for 22 years and wrote many of his best works in a little hut overlooking a fjord. Now a museum, it is open to visitors all year and hosts daily lunchtime concerts and Sunday evening recitals every summer. Between 1880 and 1882, Grieg served as the artistic director of the Bergen Philharmonic, one of the world’s oldest orchestras. Today, the orchestra is based in Grieg Hall in central Bergen, where it performs classical concerts, operas and contemporary works. Grieg suffered from poor health his whole life as a result of complications from a bout of tuberculosis in his youth, but he worked relentlessly nonetheless, touring Europe extensively each year. Summers were spent getting back to nature at Troldhaugen. You can retrace his steps by exploring the hiking trails over the seven mountains surrounding Bergen. Or, for something a little less strenuous, try the Ulriken Cable Car. Clockwise, from above: Piano recital in Grieg Hall, Bergen; local fado guitarist in Lisbon; Royal Albert Hall, London; exterior of Grieg Hall 4 LONDON, ENGLAND The English capital’s rich musical history has deep roots dating back to the Victorian era, when British music halls entertained the masses. Leaving a strong legacy in their wake, these halls paved the way for London’s live music scene to thrive, and their reputation remains intact to this day. The city is known for its iconic venues, from the Royal Albert Hall, with its classical concerts; to the Roundhouse, known for its punk scene; to the world-famous basement club Ronnie Scott’s, famed for hosting the likes of Miles Davis and Nina Simone. The depths of Soho are a great place to start on a musical tour of London. The cobblestone backstreets of this district hum with the memories of the rowdy recording studios that launched some of the world’s best musicians in popular music history. The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and Elton John are just some of the big names known to have made music on Denmark Street, and Bob Marley is said to have bought his first guitar here. Venturing northeast of the river will take you to Abbey Road Studios, where many a cabbie would attest to having their patience tested as Beatles fans mimic the routine pictured on the band’s iconic 1969 album cover. For a musical travel through time, London is the ultimate destination. 16 VIKING.COM EXPLORE MORE

5 VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS LISBON, PORTUGAL Any Lisboner will tell you that one of the city’s must-do experiences is to wander among the cobblestone alleyways, slip inside a tasca (tavern) and listen to Portugal’s haunting national soundtrack: fado. Translated as fate, fado is renowned for its deeply expressive and melancholic character. It originated in the early 19th century on the streets of Lisbon’s Alfama District and is usually accompanied by a Portuguese 12-string guitar. Each ballad speaks of life, passion and struggle, and evokes the Portuguese emotion of saudade—a longing for something lost. A newer variety of fado performed exclusively by men exists in the city of Coimbra. But Lisbon’s scene has always been dominated by women. In an homage to the undisputed queen of fado, Amália Rodrigues, most performers have traditionally cloaked themselves in a black shawl and donned red lipstick before belting out songs of heartache, lost sailors and tempestuous passions as their voices hover on the edge of a sob. Fado is held in such high regard that UNESCO recognized the art form on its Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2011. Although tavern performances are more authentic to the music’s working-class roots, there are some dinner-and-a-show experiences at adegas (wineries) in the city that showcase the country’s top singers. But no matter where you watch fado, there are some unwritten rules: remain completely silent, put down your utensils, and do not order a drink or enter the club until the performer has finished his or her song. EXPLORE MORE VIKING.COM 17