Musical lecture: 150 years of «Peer Gynt» and the Holy Spirit
Sunday March 17, 15:00
(Doors open at 14:00)
Swedish Margareta Church
Free entry
Duration: 1 hour
NB! The lecture will be held in Norwegian
Torkil Baden, speaker
Per Anders Håvelsrud, organ
Oslo Cathedral’s Youth Choir
Sindre Hugo Bjerkestrand, conductor
In 2024, it has been 150 years since Ibsen asked Grieg to compose the music for Peer Gynt. Grieg worked on the music right up to the world premiere at Christiania Theater in 1876. For a large audience, both in Norway and abroad, the Peer Gynt-music is highly appreciated – a common global musical heritage.
In his new book, Edvard Grieg – nasjonal og internasjonal (Eng: ‘Edvard Grieg – national and international’), Torkil Baden writes about, among other things, Peer Gynt as a Christian drama and Grieg’s relationship to religious texts and folk tunes. In his engagement period, Grieg trained as an organist and played demanding works by J.S. Bach. He arranged religious folk tunes, among others his very last work, Fire salmer (‘Four Psalms’). Several of his melodies and arrangements later made an appearance in the hymn book.
In the book’s chapter ‘Peer og pinsen’ (‘Peer and Pentecost’), religious moments that are important for the interpretation of the play, are expanded upon. The play ends on Pentecost morning. The congregation sings a Pentecost hymn about ‘the tongues of God’s kingdom’ with an organ in the orchestra. A judgmental Button-Moulder has to make way for ‘Solveig’s vuggesang’ (‘Solveig’s Lullaby’). Then Ibsen wanted the curtain to fall as the song about the Holy Spirit ‘sounds nearer and stronger’.
Torkil Baden (b. 1944) has worked as a music journalist and critic in NRK and in the press. He was a senior lecturer at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, as well as a church musician. His book Bach og hans orgelunivers (Lyche musikkforlag 2021; Eng: ‘Bach and his organ universe’) led to 35 lectures around the country, including at the Church Music Festival. This is his twelfth book about cultural and musical history. He lives in Drøbak (DrøBach!) and Antibes, France.
Oslo Cathedral’s Youth Choir is a chamber choir for singers between the ages of 16 and 30, founded in 1987. The choir sings art music and folk music, and gathers talented, young singers from all over the country. The ensemble is affiliated with Oslo Cathedral, where they sing at church services and concerts with a wide repertoire. The choir has an ambition to give its members a steep musical learning curve and a thorough knowledge of different periods and traditions within choir and church music. Several of the choir’s singers continue their careers in some of the country’s most acclaimed choirs. During its 30 years, the choir has participated in a number of radio and TV productions, and toured large parts of Europe. The choir is under the direction of Sindre Hugo Bjerkestrand.
Per Anders Håvelsrud (b. 1998) is educated as a church musician and organist at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. For his master’s exam in solo organ in spring 2023, he performed music by Max Reger in Oslo Cathedral, after studying under Professors Terje Winge and Kåre Nordstoga. In addition to his studies at the Norwegian Academy of Music, he regularly studies with Wilhelm Sollie and is an active participant at different masterclasses with well-known organ teachers. Håvelsrud currently works as the acting lead organist in the Swedish Margareta Church, and is an active freelance musician, concert organist, and conductor.
Foto: Edvard Grieg: Anders Beer Wilse, Torkil Baden: privat, Oslo Domkirkes Ungdomskor: Lillian Julsvik
