"Swinging home for Christmas" - Alexander Rybak on concert tour with big band in 2010

- I usually say that I am musically responsible, but financially irresponsible -  Alexander said with a smile in an interview related to the concert tour.

He still decided to plan and go on a large-scale Christmas tour in December 2010.
Because he also thinks:

"Christmas is not about receiving,
but about giving for me." 

This is what he was also inspired by:

- Mom and I had traditions of performing in very small, local places before Christmas, small churches and such. Now I thought I could bring really good musicians with me and bring with me proper sound, proper swing

- he said in an interview to a local news site.

Due to the press release back then, there would be pop, swing, jazz, classical gems and musical twists and turns. The performance is something Rybak has always dreamed of doing, the same media website rnk/rogaland says.

Photo

From a review:
To big band versions of well-selected Christmas croonies, without being worn prunes, Rybak both expanded and complimented the musical expression with fiddle playing that occasionally raised the neck hairs in pure admiration.

The tour lasted from 30th November to 22nd December and they performed
in these cities -->

Sandnes,Trondheim 
Nøtterøy, Arendal
Ålesund, Molde
Lillehammer, Hamar
Kolbotn, Oslo
Drammen

The violinists beside Alexander on stage:

Maria Strøm Slyngstad     *      Katherine Hvinden Hals      *     Olga Kivaeva 

Find out the other musicians of the band in --> THIS promo video

Source of the photos in this post is the event FB-page of the management.

Click --> HERE for more.

Here is the bus that will be our home until 22 December. This is a specially built double-decker bus, with lounges, kitchen, bathroom, office and 16 beds, it says on the management's event page.

An album with the same name was also released - with four songs on it.

For listening and seeing Alexander performing them, click on the titles here:

1. Let It Snow by Cahn & Styne  (cover)

2. Tell Me When by Alexander himself

3. Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley (cover)

4. I'll Be Home For Christmas by Bing Crosby (cover)

And for Alexander's other self-composed Christmas songs

click on this picture -->

Watch videos from the concert tour in this playlist:

 

* * *

This is a full article about the tour, where Alexander also tells about it, 

was published in the Russian media at that time: 

Alexander was invited to the Norwegian morning show Morgennytt to tell about the concert tour. Watch the talk with English translation:

Talking about Norwegian Christmas songs in an interview to a local paper, Alexander said:

"One of the most important traditions at Christmas is Alf Prøysen. Although it is a little difficult to remember his Gjøvik lyrics (regional Norwegian dialect), there are very nice melodies that fit perfectly at Christmas, I think. I also have them on the tour."

One of the songs of Alf Prøysen is "Romjulsdrøm", 

which he performed in a tv-show too.

Watch it here:

Alexander invited guest artists to perform with in the show in several cities.

One of them was Didrik Solli-Tangen

(this video is from another Christmas concert, though)

---------------------------------------