Ballad at Kongsgaarden
Here, music is gathered where folk tunes, tradition, and personal expression take center stage, but are set in very different contexts – from simple melodies in a new guise to the greater expressive scope of Romanticism.
At the beginning of the program, we are welcomed by Geirr Tveitt's Ve no velkomne med æra – a folk tune from Hardanger that Tveitt arranged in his own unique way in the collection Hundrad Hardingtonar. The melody has probably been used in wedding and welcoming traditions, and combines festivity with a distinct folk warmth. In the piano arrangement, Tveitt allows the melody to appear both straightforward and subdued, without losing its connection to its original environment.
This is followed by music by Johan Kvandal, who often drew on Norwegian song and dance traditions. In the songs from Syv sanger, Op. 4, and the excerpts from Norske Stevtoner, Op. 40, we encounter short verses and melodic figures with roots particularly in Telemark, but also known in Valdres. “Hjuringvise og lokk” springs from the mountain farming tradition in Eastern Norway, while “Sjugurd og kjerringi” shows how Kvandal combines folk motifs with a strict, formal musical language.
Next, we turn our attention to Denmark, which is particularly fitting at Danebu Kongsgaard – built in gratitude for the Danish food supplies Norway received during World War II. Since its opening in 1950, the cabin has been a meeting place for both Danish and Norwegian ski tourists. In this room, Niels W. Gade's Fantasistykker takes on an extra historical resonance. Gade was a central figure in Danish Romanticism and brought together Nordic musical influences with German ideals. In these short pieces, we hear a natural and precisely shaped dialogue between clarinet and piano.
The concert's main work is Edvard Grieg's Ballade in G minor, Op. 24. The work was written in 1876, one of the most demanding periods in the composer's life, and is considered by many to be his most personal piano composition. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the work's completion in the capital, shortly after the premiere of his incidental music for Peer Gynt. The starting point is a simple folk tune from Valdres, Den Nordlandske Bondestand, which Grieg explores from different perspectives through fourteen variations – from the quiet and restrained to the powerful and massive. The ballad reveals a side of Grieg that goes far beyond the lyrical miniatures for which he is best known: here he works in a large format, with an emotional and structural breadth that makes the work one of the highlights of his piano output.
A completely different expression emerges in Sergei Rachmaninoff's Valse & Romance for six hands – an early work written when he was 17 years old. Here, all our pianists will be playing together on the same piano! Such six-hand works were popular in the salon environment of the 19th century. Rachmaninoff was one of the greatest masters of melody, tone and harmony, and we certainly get a taste of that here. The Waltz is light in expression, while the Romance gives way to a more singing and concentrated tonal language.
The concert concludes with Franz Schubert's Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, written in 1828. Here, the composer distributes the musical material equally between soprano, clarinet, and piano. The text describes a shepherd's reflections, hopes, and longings, and Schubert allows the instruments to both reinforce and expand these moods. The piece can be divided into three parts, the first depicting the shepherd's life in the mountains, the second depicting longing, and the third ending in a virtuoso cry of joy that spring has arrived.
Throughout the concert, Sigurd Sverdrup Sandmo guides the audience through connections, traditions and the history of the works.
Practical information:
- Doors open 30 minutes before the event starts
- Danebu Kongsgaard will keep its restaurant open before and after the event
- Parking is available at Danebu Kongsgaard
Foto: Danebu Kongsgaard
