A musical journey to Norway

It is no secret that I’m obsessed with Scandinavia and Norway in particular. So, following last week’s musical journey to Greece, this week I’m going on a musical journey to Norway.

Emilie Nicolas’s concert inside Nidaros cathedral in Trondheim — Emilie Nicolas’s concert inside the Nidaros cathedral in Trondheim

Sissel Kyrkjebø

My first acquaintance with Norwegian music (Eurovision aside) goes all the way to 1998, when I first visited the Nordic countries. I clearly remember the soundtrack to the Norwegian leg of the journey: Sissel Kyrkjebø’s ‘Soria Moria’, an album that had been released almost a decade earlier, in 1989. With a career now spanning three decades, the famous Norwegian soprano has released 12 studio albums and has collaborated with many international musicians, including tenors Placido Domingo (at the third Christmas in Vienna concert in Austria in 1994) and Mario Frangoulis (at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens, Greece in 2014).

Edvard Grieg

A few months ago, I published my post ‘Beyond Eurovision: A musical journey in Europe’, where I ‘visited’ 22 European countries, listening to some of my favorite musicians from each of these countries. When it comes to classical music, Edvard Grieg is undoubtedly the most famous Norwegian composer.

Personally, his music takes me back to Bergen, which I last visited last year. It was then that I attended the half-hour lunchtime concert in the Troldsalen chamber music hall at Troldhaugen. Located right next to Grieg’s villa, Troldsalen is considered one of the most beautiful chamber music halls in Norway. The ticket includes the concert and a guided tour through Edvard Grieg’s villa (NOK 180). There’s also the option of a concert and bus package, which also includes transport to and from Troldhaugen (NOK 290).

The Troldsalen chamber music hall at Troldhaugen, Bergen — The Troldsalen chamber music hall at Troldhaugen

Rockheim: The National Museum for Popular Music

To learn more about Norway’s pop and rock music, I visited Rockheim, the country’s national museum for popular music. Also known as The National Discovery Centre for Pop and Rock (Det nasjonale opplevelsessenteret for pop og rock), and The National Museum for Popular Music (Det nasjonale museet for populærmusikk), Rockheim opened in 2010 and is housed in a former grain warehouse in central Trondheim. Interactive video walls allow the visitors to listen to the country’s most important popular musicians from the 1950s to the present, before they continue through the rooms, each devoted to a different decade. The permanent exhibition has many interactive components. There’s also a temporary exhibition on the 4^th floor, whereas the 5^th floor has a café-restaurant offering panoramic views (NOK 140, closed on Mondays).

Rockheim is housed in a former grain warehouse in central Trondheim

Norwegian bands

Before my visit to Rockheim, I’d known of a rather limited number of Norwegian pop musicians, such as the synth pop group a-ha, the electronic music duo Röyksopp, and Alexander Rybak, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 (this is the last of the three Norwegian victories so far). Whilst there, I started discovering Norwegian rock music too, including the bands Madrugada and Motorpsycho.

I subsequently bought a ticket to see Madrugada performing live at the Islington Assembly Hall in London on the 28th of October 2019. This alternative rock band rose to prominence in the late 1990s; they have released five studio albums before their farewell tour in 2008. Gladly, they are now touring again.

Meanwhile, their vocalist Sivert Høyem has enjoyed success as a solo artist. So far, he has released five studio albums, as well as a live one: ‘Live at Acropolis – Herod Atticus Odeon, Athens’.

Back to Scandinavia and my musical journey to Norway continues with another rock band: Motorpsycho. Originally from Trondheim, they have been releasing music since the 1990s.

Highasakite is an indie band; they have been releasing music since 2012. I discovered them during my most recent trip to Norway, when I heard their song ‘Uranium Heart’ (from their album of the same name).

Broen is another Norwegian band I’ve recently discovered. Their music blends different genres, such as dub, electronic music, jazz, R&B, psychedelia and pop. Their debut album was released in 2015. They are due to perform in London on the 6th of November 2019 (at the Shacklewell Arms).

Norwegian singer-songwriters

Thomas Dybdahl and Ane Brun are among the Norwegian singer-songwriters that stand out, despite being relatively unknown outside their home country.

Aurora, on the other hand, has managed to achieve fame on an international level. In fact, she pleasantly surprised me with her debut ‘Running with the Wolves’ in 2015 and I have been a fan of hers ever since. She is due to perform at the Roundhouse in London on the 11th of November 2019.

Then, last year, I came across another Norwegian female singer-songwriter, Sigrid, when she became an overnight success in the UK having been announced as the winner of BBC Music Sound of 2018. In August 2019, Sigrid was among the many Norwegian and international artists who performed in the Øyafestivalen at Tøyenparken, in Oslo. She is due to perform in London (at the Eventim Apollo) on the 4th of December 2019.

Alongside Aurora and Sigrid, I should also mention the lesser-known singer-songwriter Emilie Nicolas, who I discovered when I saw her performing live in Trondheim earlier this year.

Norwegian DJs

Originally from Tromsø, electronic music duo Röyksopp have been releasing music for two decades now. I have particularly loved their collaborations with the Swedish singer Robyn. ‘Do It Again’ was released in 2014, and it was followed by ‘The Inevitable End’ (also released in 2014). Soon afterwards, Norwegian DJs Alan Walker, Kygo and Matoma followed on their footsteps and gained international success.

22-year-old British-born Alan Walker became worldwide famous in 2015, when he released the hit single ‘Faded’. His studio album ‘Different World’ followed in 2018.

Born in Singapore, Kygo is another Norwegian DJ whose tropical house beats have recently taken the world by storm. So far, he has collaborated with a large number of artists from different countries (including many from the UK, as well as the late Whitney Houston) and has released two studio albums: ‘Cloud Nine’ (in 2016) and ‘Kids In Love’ (in 2017).

I first discovered Matoma a few years ago, when I heard his ‘False Alarm’, but it took me a while to realize he’s Norwegian. Like Kygo, he has collaborated with a large number of both Norwegian and international artists.

Norwegian jazz

My first acquaintance with Norwegian jazz was a couple of years ago, when I got hold of a compilation of 13 Jazzland Recordings tracks, all from Norwegian jazz musicians, including Rohey, Bugge Wesseltoft, and Beady Belle. This was my introduction to Norway’s thriving jazz scene. I then learned about the spring and summer jazz festivals taking place across Norway, from Oslo to Tromsø. Every year from May to August, when the days just don’t turn into nights, no less than 10 festivals take place across the country.

Spring & summer jazz festivals

Hamar Jazz Festival, also known as AnJazz, takes place in Hamar over five days in early May.

As the name suggests, Maijazz is another jazz festival taking place in May; it is held in Stavanger.

Also in May, Bodø Jazz Open takes place in Bodø, a small city above the Arctic Circle in northern Norway, about an hour and a half on the plane from Oslo.

Then, there’s Trondheim Jazz Festival, or Jazzfest, as it is also known, which I attended this May. Among the many performances I enjoyed, was those of the Ålesund-born Natalie Sandtorv, and of the jazz/soul/pop trio GURLS.

Bergen International Jazz Festival, also known as Nattjazz, is the fifth jazz festival in May. GURLS performed there too.

Kongsberg Jazzfestival takes place in July in Kongsberg, a small town in southern Norway (less than an hour and a half away from Oslo either by car or train).

Molde International Jazz Festival, or simply Moldejazz, also takes place in July. This is one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe. Molde, on the west coast of the country, is known as ‘Town of Roses’; yet most people know this town because of Moldejazz.

Named after the Norwegian word for herring (sild), Sildajazz takes place in August in Haugesund, a small coastal town in south-western Norway.

Tromsø is the largest town in northern Norway, lying 400km north of the Arctic Circle, about an hour and 50 minutes on the plane from Oslo. In August, it hosts the Tromsø Jazzfestival.

Last but not least, the Norwegian capital is home to the last festival of the summer. Oslo Jazz Festival takes place every August, when the city enjoys 16 hours of daylight and 8 hours of twilight.

Winter & autumn jazz festivals

In addition to these spring and summer festivals, there are also a few taking place during the rest of the year:

Dølajazz takes place in the town of Lillehammer about 2 hours on the train from Oslo. It is due to take place between the 17^th and the 20th of October 2019.

Polarjazz is the northernmost jazz festival in the world. It takes place in Longyearbyen, a small town in the subpolar archipelago of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean. Polarjazz takes place around the end of January or the beginning of February when Longyearbyen enjoys zero hours of daylight.

Vossajazz takes place in the town of Voss the week before Easter (late March/early April). It will take place between the 3^rd and 5^thof April 2020.

Bugge Wesseltoft’s prolific career includes solo albums, as well as collaborations with other artists. His latest collaboration with Swedish musicians Dan Berglund and Magnus Öström resulted in the formation of Rymden and the release of the excellent album ‘Reflections and Odysseys‘. Together with Henrik Schwarz, he is due to perform in London (Earth Theatre) on the 26th of November 2019.

Ringve Museum

Located on the outskirts of Trondheim (NOK 130, closed on Mondays), Ringve Museum is the country’s national museum for music and musical instruments. There are two parts: the Barn and the Manor House. The former houses the permanent collection with hundreds of (classical and folk) musical instruments from all over the world, as well as a temporary exhibition. The beautiful Victoria Café is also located there. The Manor House is open by guided tour only (during the museum opening hours).