Gentle evening with music from the heart of Norway
Despite the inclement weather on Friday evening a good-sized audience attended the first of George Music Society’s 2020 concerts - a programme of seldom-heard Norwegian music presented by pianist Rune Alver.
The composers selected were Edvard Grieg (1845-1907) and Signe Lund (1868-1950), one of the few woman composers of that time.
The programme opened with Grieg’s delightful and popular Holberg Suite, Op. 40 that was written for the 200th anniversary of the playwright Ludwig Holberg and opens with a Prelude. This I felt was a little bassheavy but soon became more balanced. The inner voices of the Sarabande came through nicely. The final Rigaudon (a traditional simple dance) was a tour de force in nimble fingering.
The Lyric Pieces, Op. 71, were written in the last year of Grieg’s life. These seven pieces are thoughtful and introspective and I particularly enjoyed the Small Trolls, played somewhat impishly by Alver. The Norwegian
Folk Dance was full of stamping feet and swirling skirts and was followed by a sombre
Gone and a waltz-like Remembrances.
After the interval Alver introduced us to the music of the Norwegian woman composer, Signe Lund, who spent a large part of her life in France and America before returning to Norway. The Festive Prelude is a stirring piece with shades of A Mighty
Fortress is Our God sneaking in.
The Novellette composed in Paris in 1906 starts off as a gentle, elegant waltz and ends with a grand triumphant declaration. Bells
of Peace was written in New York to mark the declaration of peace on 11 November 1918. From the opening sombre tolling of a single big bell, there is a gradual build-up of joyful pealing bells. These slowly fade away to a final ring, then silence. For several seconds there was absolute silence in the theatre - such was the intensity of the work and Alver’s performance.
The final work was the Concert Etude, Op. 38, composed in Chicago. The central tune was later changed into Somewhere over the
Rainbow in the film Wizard of Oz. It was a busy work that ended with a final flourish, much to the audience’s satisfaction. Even though Alver had completed a masterclass in the afternoon (and it was good to see some of the students at the concert), and played a full recital, he sent us home with a very gentle encore as well.
This was a gentle evening spent with a musician who clearly loves what he is doing and is happy to share it. Each piece was explained with humour and we enjoyed the history and anecdotes that went with them. I really hope Rune Alver will visit us again.