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Johan Halvorsen: Fossegrimen, op.21 \u00b7 Norway\u2019s Greetings to Theodore Roosevelt<\/p>\n
Johan Halvorsen was Musical Director at Nationaltheatret in Oslo for 30 years. He wrote, in
\naddition to everything else, music to more than 30 plays including works by Shakespeare, Bj\u00f8rnson and others. The play Fossegrimen was written by Sigurd Eldegard, and is based on the Norwegian legend about the fabulous fiddler Myllarguten. According to tradition (and parallel to the Paganini legend) Myllarguten learned to play the fiddle from the Fossegrim himself, the musical leader of all underground creatures, and \u2018pawned his soul for the craft\u2019. Eldegard even incorporated Myllarguten\u2019s encounter with Ole Bull, in the play referred to as the Master Fiddler.<\/p>\n
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The Complete Music to Fossegrimen, 1910 Nobel Peace Price Anthem. Two premiere recordings!<\/p>\n
The choice of Halvorsen for the making of this music was self-evident. He had learned to play the Hardanger fiddle a few years earlier, and was so fascinated by the \u2018sl\u00e5tte\u2019-tradition that he embarked on being the first in music history to use the Hardanger fiddle as a solo instrument with a symphony orchestra.<\/p>\n
Simax Classics is now presenting all of the music from Fossegrimen for the first time on record. Arve Moen Bergset is soloist both on Hardanger fiddle and violin, in the same manner as the composer himself was during performances of the play. In addition Bergset sings the beautiful Torgeir\u2019s Song, Per Vollestad contributes with Kj\u00f8kemeisterens Vise and \u00d8yvind Blunck appears as the snapping Fossekallen.<\/p>\n
The Nobel Peace Price Committee for the 1910 award to Theodore Roosevelt commissioned the second piece in this release. Halvorsen gives a display of his master craftsmanship when he combines the American \u2018Star Spangled Banner\u2019 and \u2018Yankee Doodle\u2019 with Norwegian folk melodies in this piece.<\/p>\n
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