Øivin Fjeldstad (2 May 1903 – 16 October 1983) was a
Norwegian conductor
Conductor or conduction may refer to:
Music
* Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra.
* ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas
* Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...
and
violinist. Fjeldstad was artistic director and principal conductor of the
Oslo Philharmonic
The Oslo Philharmonic (Oslo-Filharmonien) is a Norwegian symphony orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. The orchestra traces its roots to the Philharmonic Society founded in 1847 and the Christiania Musical Association co-founded by Edvard Grieg in ...
from 1962 to 1969.
Biography
A native of
Oslo, Øivin Fjeldstad debuted as a violinist in 1921 following musical instruction in the
conservatories of
Oslo Conservatory of Music
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of i ...
under the direction
Gustav Lange
Gustav Lange (13 August 1830 – 20 July 1889) was a German composer known mainly for his melodious salon music for the piano.
Life
Lange was born in Schwerstedt, near Erfurt, Prussian Saxony, in 1830. He received initial musical training ...
and
University of Music and Theatre in
Leipzig under instruction of
Walther Davisson.
Ten years later, having studied with
Clemens Krauss in
Berlin, he began his conducting career in Oslo and, after the end of
World War II and the founding of the
Norwegian Radio Orchestra (''Kringkastingsorkestret'') in 1946, he became its head conductor. Between 1958 and 1960, the
Norwegian National Opera and Ballet
The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet ( no, Den Norske Opera & Ballett, links=no) is a Norwegian opera company and ballet company. The first fully professional company each for opera and ballet in Norway and the only such professional organisati ...
had
Kirsten Flagstad as its general manager and Øivin Fjeldstad as its first artistic director. In 1962 he, along with
Herbert Blomstedt, succeeded
Odd Grüner-Hegge as head conductor of Oslo Philharmonic, the nation's leading orchestra, becoming one of the most influential figures in his country's postwar musical history.
Personal life
He was awarded the
King's Medal of Merit (''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') in 1954 and was made a Knight 1st Class in the
Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav during 1962. In 1934 he married Julie Antoinette Skappel (1910–1996). Their daughter,
Lise Fjeldstad, is a film and stage actress while his son
Øivin Skappel Fjeldstad is a banker and Member of the
Storting
The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...
. Øivin Fjeldstad died in 1983 and was buried at
Vestre gravlund in
Oslo.
References
External links
Catalog of Øivin Fjeldstad recordings*
*
1903 births
1983 deaths
Musicians from Oslo
Norwegian conductors (music)
Norwegian male conductors (music)
Norwegian violinists
Norwegian male violinists
20th-century violinists
Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal
Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit
Burials at Vestre gravlund
20th-century conductors (music)
20th-century Norwegian male musicians
{{Norway-conductor-stub