Tveitt Piano Music – Geir Botnen

Geir Botnen and Geirr Tveitt

Geir Botnen performs three magnificent works by Geirr Tveitt on this album. Raised in Norheimsund – Geirr Tveitt´s hometown – with folk music in his blood, Botnen early acquired an interest in Tveitt´s music. At a young age, the pianist played all of Tveitt´s “Fifty Folk Tunes from Hardanger” on a double album recording, and he has diligently performed Tveitt´s music in Scandinavia as well as a number of tours in the US and the Far East. For Simax he has recorded selctions of Grieg´s “Folkeviser” (folk songs) and “Slåtter” together with Reigun Horvei and Knut Hamre, and a CD with modern flute music in collaboration with Ingela Øien.

Tveitt´s ”Fyristudiar”, two-, three- and four-part inventions based on the strict style of the St. Thomas cantor, but freely and uniquely interwoven with Norwegian tonality, are the Nordic counterpart to Bach. They have a Norwegian “accent” based on the old modes Tveitt found in the Norwegian country air or slått. His sonatas have a special place in his total production. However, few of the sonatas were ever performed in public, and only one has been preserved, “Sonata etere No. 29, Op. 129”, which Botnen has recorded for this album. Grand in its dimension, profoundly original, exhaustive and intense, the sonata is of the best Tveitt brand. Closing the album is the piece “Danse du Dieu Soleil, op. 91 no. 15”, a piece from the ballet “Baldur´s dreams”. The ballet is about the sun god in the Norse universe, with a plot inspired by Edda and Snorre´s “Gylfaginning”. “Danse du Dieu Soleil is a finale and the only preserved, fully developed movement in the prolific works from Tveitt´s youth.