Kåre Kolberg (1936-2014) studied organ at the Music Conservatory in Oslo and has an MA in musicology from the University of Oslo. In addition to his career as a composer, he has been active as an organist for many years. First as a research fellow, and later as a critic and writer, Kolberg has been especially concerned with the role and function of contemporary music in society. He has also held a number of important honorary posts in Norwegian music…
Kåre Kolberg (1936-2014) studied organ at the Music Conservatory in Oslo and has an MA in musicology from the University of Oslo. In addition to his career as a composer, he has been active as an organist for many years. First as a research fellow, and later as a critic and writer, Kolberg has been especially concerned with the role and function of contemporary music in society. He has also held a number of important honorary posts in Norwegian music life.
Kåre Kolberg was one of the first composers to deal with the public’s attitude towards modern music. The "neo-friendly" elements in his otherwise fairly modernistic musical language can be regarded as an indication to communicate more directly with his audience. Kolberg’s music has always been characterized by contrasts. Perhaps his most characteristic feature is the juxtaposition of material from different genres, modernism contrasted with elements from jazz or popular music, and elements from the romantic genre with idioms from contemporary music. These contrasts lend his music great expressive force and are a source of considerable musical humour. A great many of his compositions reveal subtle humour, such as The Emperor’s New Tie (1973) and For the Time Being (1984). The latter work was selected by the Norwegian Society of Composers as Work of the Year.
2014