Geirr Tveitt was born on 19 October 1908, so this disc can be
seen as a centenary celebration. Like Edvard Grieg he was born
in Bergen but his family roots were in Nordheimsund in the province
of Hardanger. It was also there that he spent most of his childhood
summers and from 1942 he also settled there for good. Early on
he got in touch with the folk music tradition of the region and
was inspired by the themes he found there. He learned to play
violin and piano as a boy and was persuaded by Christian Sinding
to study music, which he did in Leipzig and later in Paris, where
his teacher was Villa-Lobos. Back in Hardanger in the 1940s he
collected folk tunes, which he arranged for piano and also for
orchestra. He had a career as concert pianist after the war and
in the 1960s was invited by the Norwegian Radio to make a series
of programmes about poets from western Norway. It was in connection
with these interviews that these songs came into being.
He was an enormously
prolific composer but in 1970 his home was destroyed in a fire
and a large part of his compositions went up in flames. This
catastrophe also brought an end to his creative powers. Luckily
some of his manuscripts were saved and today a great deal of
his music is available on record, not least on a Naxos series
with Håvard Gimse and Bjarte Engeset.
He has a very distinct
personal tonal language, often built on modal scales, which
he regarded as originally Norwegian. There is also a folk feeling
about many of his works. I was fairly familiar with his music
through the above-mentioned recordings and through hearing Håvard
Gimse perform his music in recital. I had never heard any of
his songs before and I have to say that they grabbed me by the
throat from the first bars and never let go throughout this
recital. His melodies sound unlike those of anyone else. He
hardly ever repeats himself and each poem gets its own unique
treatment. Being surprised all the time is one feature of listening
to his songs – and melody is only part of this. His rhythms
are thrilling, syncopations abound – listen to Den gamle
apalen (tr. 5) or the jazzy lilt of Revebjøllor (tr.
15). While the melodies are not particularly ‘modern’ the accompaniments
sometimes are. Often they are sparse but Tveitt does not fight
shy of spicing them with quite acrimonious harmonies: try the
dark Svarte krossar (tr 17)! As in his instrumental compositions
nature and folk life are important ingredients also in his songs.
I don’t think I have been so captivated with ‘new’ songs since
I was carried away by Nicolae Bretan’s music (see review
for further references).
One further reason
for this is no doubt the singing of Per Vollestad, who has had
an international career as an opera artist and recitalist for
two decades. He has his mellow baritone in excellent shape to
this very day. I believe these songs, so specifically Norwegian,
need to be sung by someone who knows the language (the poems
are in nynorsk) as well as the musical idiom. I cannot
imagine the songs better sung, whether in lyrical or more dramatic
mode. In the final song Bera ei sorg we find both. Sigmund
Hjelset is a flexible accompanist, the recording first class
and Per Vollestad’s notes – he is a scholar too – excellent.
This
is one of the finest song discs in a
long time. I wouldn't be surprised if
it finds its way into my Discs of the
Year.
Göran Forsling
Per Vollestad
(baritone), Sigmund Hjelset (piano) 
