2008 London Concert

On Friday 17th October 2008 a special concert of Norwegian Music took place at London's Wigmore Hall.

Norwegian Music Concert at Wigmore Hall

Programme [Microsoft Word Document]

Review by Robert Matthew-Walker

The concert of music by Norwegian composers at Wigmore Hall on October 17th, supported by the Casa dei Mezzo Music Festival of Makrigialos, Crete, which was founded by Gunnar Strømsholm in 2004, proved to be a remarkably worthwhile affair both with regard to the range of music included (much of it unfamiliar to British music-lovers) and to the consistently high standard of the performances.

Indeed, for many in the audience, the event must have come as something of a revelation. The most familiar composer, of course, was Edvard Grieg, three of whose immortal Lyric Pieces from the Opus 54 set opened the programme, excellently played by Sveinung Bjelland. The music of Bjarne Brustad is hardly ever heard in this country, which - on the basis of his Fairytale Suite for solo violin - is a great pity, for this music is not only compelling on its own terms but is exceptionally well laid-out for the instrument (Brustad was also a noted professional violinist and violist). It was extremely well projected by Atle Sponberg, who, in the second half of the programme and partnered by Sveinung Bjelland, gave a superb account of Grieg's G major Sonata (No 2), notable for a breadth of interpretation of rare quality.

The soprano Isa Katharina Gericke, with Sveinung Bjelland, contributed a very fine performance of Grieg's masterpiece, the song-cycle Haugtussa, as well as bringing a group of rare but very beautiful songs by Halfdan Kjerulf (one of the few Norwegian masters in the generation before Grieg) and by the remarkably gifted musician Agathe Backer-Grøndahl (1847-1907).

Mr Bjelland's final contribution to this fascinating programme was a fine selection from Fifty Folk Tunes from Hardanger Opus 150 by Geirr Tveitt in the solo piano version. All in all the programme, which promised much in the way of interest, succeeded well beyond our expectations, and one hopes that it will not be too long before we hear these gifted artists again in London.

Robert Matthew-Walker