The Slåtter op. 72 of Edvard Grieg for the first time brought Norwegian folk music to a wide international audience. His love for nature and the traditional music was truly great, equalled only by his pioneering spirit when it came to bringing it into art music. But was he true to his sources? In the same year of the 100th year commemoration of his death, we present a revised edition of op. 72 – based on new transcriptions of the original material.
First time on CD: a new edition incorporating the true slåtte-rhythms
Professor of folk music Sven Nyhus is very experienced in notating Hardanger fiddle tunes. He has worked with wax roll recordings of Knut Dahle from 1912, transcribing what has become known as the “Grieg Slåtter” after Dahle’s own playing. This work has resulted in a new edition of the fiddle tunes, and also a new edition of op. 72.
Classical and folk music in mutual inspiration
The Nyhus sisters have a folk musical background and classical training at the highest level which give them a unique insight into this music. <strong>Ingfrid Breie Nyhus</strong> (b. 1978) studied piano in Oslo, Helsinki and Hannover. She has received several awards, including the Norwegian Soloist Prize, and is also one of the Grieg Force musicians in 2007. She also performs folk music on zither and piano. <strong>Åshild Breie Nyhus </strong>(b. 1975) is fourth generation fiddler, with roots in Hallingdal and Røros. As Hardanger fiddle soloist she has featured with many of the Scandinavian symphony orchestras. She is also a violinist with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra.
