Draumkvedet (The Dream Ballad) was
originally commissioned as the musical and cultural presentation
for the Winter Olympics
held in Lillehammer in 1994. As such it needed to embody
an accepted Norwegian 'national treasure'.
Its
historical origins are interesting, and are reminiscent of
the way that the Kalevala took on a deep meaning for
the Finns at roughly the same time that the various parts
of Draumkvedet were being welded into a literary
whole by Professor Moltke Moe of Oslo University in the 1890s.
Both countries were beginning to reassert their national
individuality - Norway was part of a national union with
Sweden until 1905 - and each looked to the traditions of
the past to assert identity.
Draumkvedet was originally discovered in Telemark in the 1840s, sung by the folk
singer Maren Ramskind. At that point only thirty stanzas
were known, and these were later added to as more were found
that seemed to belong to the same poem. There are disputes
about its exact origins, but the outcomes were a formalisation
of the poem at the end of the 19th century and its use as
a starting place and inspiration for artists and musicians.
In various forms it has also been set by Sparre Olsen, Klaus
Egge and most recently the Telemark-born composer Eivind
Groven.
The story tells of a young man who falls asleep on Christmas
Eve, goes on a long journey and only reawakens at Epiphany, when
he enters a church and tells the congregation his story.
Parallels have been drawn between this and other visionary tales
or poems of the early mediaeval period - from the
English tradition I suppose that the 10th century Old English
poem The
Dream of the Rood will be the most familiar. It is
interesting that the story incorporates a mixture of the
Christian and the Norse pagan religions indicating
perhaps that its actual date is from around the same time
that the Icelander Snorri Sturluson (1178-1241) was writing
down the Eddas.
Olav Åsteson's
mystical vision takes him on a pilgrimage in which he sees
the battle between good and evil, the angels, God's Holy
Mother and visions of the world of the dead.
Arne
Nordheim's score is compelling, and although to begin with
it is impossible not to be strongly (and distractingly)
reminded of other composers, it soon becomes absorbing.
Nordheim is
well known for his resistance to overly folkloristic composition,
but in this piece he has blended (and transformed) folk
traditions with orchestral and electronic music. By using
such a wide
range of instruments and different ways of singing, Nordheim
has been able to provide a sense of timelessness which
is well-suited to this material.
The text seems to be the result of a huge period of national
and cultural transition, and by utilising everything from the
willow flute and Hardanger fiddle to electronically produced
music, and by mixing classically trained singers with those from
the folk tradition, Nordheim illuminates the poem, making it
dramatic and meaningful to a modern audience. This is a
difficult task which can easily go wrong, but Nordheim - despite
my problems with finding echoes of Vaughan Williams early on in
the piece - gets it right, managing to incorporate
musical forms from many traditions and many different times.
Perhaps
one of the most interesting passages is the opening Påkalling (Summoning);
in which the 'Urkvinna' (Primeval Woman) sung by Unni
Løvlid,
sings with an amazing power reminiscent of both the
'yoiking' of
Finnish folk tradition, or perhaps of the open-throated
excitement of Le Mystere des Voix Bulgare.
The choral passages are also engrossing and very beautiful - especially
during the closing scene, Draumar Manga, (Many Dreams)
when the ethereal sound of the voices places Olav Åsteson's
whole journey within the timeless landscape of dreaming.
Once again the mixture of folk tradition and classical writing
is developed in such a way that one form grows out of the
other without any sense that the work is anything like a
'cross-over' piece.
The
musicians, singers and actors involved are of a uniform strength
and commitment and the result is a recording which is well
worth hearing, and which has an unusual richness and depth.
If you know something of the musical traditions of Scandinavia
you will find a lot here which is familiar, but if not this
is an excellent disc with which to start exploring.
Lynette Kenny
Article about Draumkvedet http://www.visearkivet.no/draumkvedet.htm
Nordheim website http://www.arnenordheim.com/
Olav Åsteson - Njål Sparbo, (bass-baritone) 
