Geirr Tveitt is one of Norwegian music’s best kept secrets. He
was born in Bergen, and in 1928 went to Leipzig to study, where,
three years later, the Leipzig Radio Orchestra
premiered his 1st Piano Concerto. In Paris he
studied with Nadia Boulanger and in Vienna took instruction from
Egon Wellesz. After the war Tveitt toured extensively in Europe
with his music and performed it to great success. At home he was
considered somewhat old hat by the up-coming “experts” of the
musical establishment. He started to spend more and more time
at the family farm in Kvam, collecting his manuscripts together
and keeping them neatly filed in wooden chests. In 1970 the house
burned to the ground and approximately 300 works were lost – including
twenty eight Piano Sonatas (the 29th
is the only one of his Piano Sonatas to remain), six Piano
Concertos and two Concertos for Hardanger fiddle –
seemingly forever. Over the years scores have come to light or
been reconstructed from orchestral parts or taken down from recordings.
Tveitt died an embittered man in Norheimsund, Hardanger, little
expecting the growth of interest in his works which would so soon
start.
Over
the past ten years or so, the time I have been listening to
foreign radio stations on the net, I have heard many fine works
by Tveitt in performances broadcast by Norwegian Radio including
Baldurs Draumar (1938) – a full evening’s work
for singers and orchestra (reconstructed by Alexei Rybnikov)
– the 1st, 4th and 5th
Piano Concertos and the 2nd Harp Concerto.
Last year, being his centenary, they treated us
to quite a lot of Tveitt. So his star is finally in the ascendant
and this is how it should be for such fine and bold music –
vastly colourful, endlessly inventive and thoroughly approachable.
To its credit, Naxos has already issued much Tveitt, including
the complete orchestral Hundert Volksmelodien
aus Hardanger, op. 151, two volumes
of solo piano works and the four remaining Piano Concertos.
Tveitt
could certainly orchestrate and his works are full of marvellous
twists and turns of colour and the variety of sounds on his
palette is large. He was also a composer who could respond to
what we call the military or wind band. The two big works here
– Sinfonietta di Soffiatori and Sinfonia di Soffiatori
– might be short in playing time but they inhabit a world where
the big gesture is to the fore. He exploits both the large harmonious
sound of the full band but never forgets just how delicate the
same forces can be when necessary. The earlier Sinfonietta
di Soffiatori is a very strong piece – together with Det
gamle Kvernhuset and Hymne til Fridomen Tveitt entered
it in a competition organized by the Norwegian Band Association
and music publisher Tonika. He won 1st prize – for
the Sinfonietta – 2nd prize for Det gamle
Kvernhuset and 3rd prize for Hymne til
Fridomen!. The Sinfonietta is in five movements.
Starting with an autumnal nocturne, this is followed by a beautifully
quirky scherzo–like movement. The middle piece, titled Fanfara
funebre, is a breezy thing on the surface but there’s some
strange harmonic things going on underneath the supposed easiness
of the music. Indeed, it starts to become quite dark as it progresses.
Norwegian folk-music was never far from Tveitt’s thinking so
for the penultimate movement we have a slightly lop–sided country
dance, with some gorgeously simple orchestration. The final
movement is no summing up, it’s quite nostalgic as it makes
its gentle way to the conclusion. This is lovely with no problems;
it’s just a simple, straight–forward, piece which is immediately
accessible.
The
later Sinfonia di Soffiatori was commissioned by the
American St Olaf College Concert Band for their European tour
in 1974. It’s a totally different kind of work, and has a part
for the harp, which adds a nice extra tone colour to the ensemble.
The alla Marcia, middle, movement has a fine build-up
of sound and makes for a superb climax in the centre of the
piece. The first movement is a very mellow countryside vision
- beautiful use of clarinets and harp here. The final movement
alternates between full ensemble, in some very striking music,
and the most beautiful, and delicate, outpouring. After some
of the turmoil earlier in the movement the ending is quite magical.
The
arrangements of Hardanger folk tunes, for orchestra, contain
some of Tveitt’s most imaginative orchestral thoughts. Many
are quite deliciously, and intentionally, comic – just try track
17 – Hardanger Ale – it’s not all there, in common parlance,
just as if one had supped a few too many of the brew. Stig Nordhagen
has done a good job in his transcriptions but I do miss the
sound of the full orchestra here, the addition of strings makes
all the difference.
The
Royal Northern College of Music Wind Band has recorded both Det
Gamle Kvernhuset and the Sinfonietta di Soffiatori
on a CD (Chandos CHAN10038) coupled with other Nordic works for
band by Rautavaara, Sallinen, Hugh Alfvén and Ole Schmidt. The
Chandos is a good disk - if you have it keep hold of it - but
these Naxos performances are much more idiomatic, and the direction
is tighter. Fantastic sound, fabulous playing, excellent notes
all make for a disk which is a necessity for every record shelf.
Bob Briggs
see also Review
by Göran Forsling