''A Hundred Hardanger Tunes'' (Op. 151, no, Hundrad hardingtonar for orkester) is a collection of folk songs from the Hardanger region of Norway arranged for orchestra by the composer

Geirr Tveitt Geirr Tveitt (born Nils Tveit; 19 October 1908 – 1 February 1981) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. Tveitt was a central figure of the national movement in Norwegian cultural life during the 1930s. Life Early years Tveitt was born in Be ...

between 1954 and 1963. Of the originally planned 100 tunes, 4 suites with a total of 60 songs are extant.

Background

(1908 – 1981) began to collect folk songs from the Hardanger region of Norway in the mid 1930s and continued throughout World War II. Of the more than 1000 tunes he collected, he first arranged 50 for piano as his opus 150. He then undertook the larger project of opus 151, ''A Hundred Hardanger Tunes'' for orchestra. Some of the songs are entirely Tveitt's own compositions. The songs are arranged into suites, of which number three (31–45) has been lost and number five (61–75) is the last, giving a total of 60 extant songs.

Suites

Suite nr. 1, 1–15

Adapted from a suite of twelve songs arranged for opus 150 in 1950. Composed in its final form in the autumn of 1954 and first performed in 1954 by the conductor

Odd Grüner-Hegge Odd Ragnar Grüner-Hegge (September 23, 1899 – May 11, 1973) was a Norwegian conductor and composer. He was the longest-serving conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic, and he was the conductor at the Norwegian National Opera in the 1960s. Family a ...

and 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 18 ...

Suite nr. 2 Fjellstev nr. 16–30

Composed in 1955 and first performed on 7 June 1955 at the Bergen Festival, by the conductor Odd Grüner-Hegge and the Filharmonisk Selskap.

Suite nr. 3, 31–45 (lost)

Never performed. According to Tveitt, the songs were about farming and old customs. The scores were lost when Tveitt's home burned down in 1970.

Suite nr. 4 Brudlaupssuiten nr. 46-60

Composed in 1958 and first performed the same year in Bergen by Odd Grüner-Hegge and the Filharmonisk Selskap.

Suite nr. 5 Trolltonar nr. 61–75

First performed in 1963 in Bergen by the conductor

Arvid Fladmoe Arvid Fladmoe (8 May 1915 – 18 November 1993) was a Norwegian composer and conductor. He was particularly known for his work as conductor of opera and operetta. Background Arvid Emil Fladmoe was born in Oslo, Norway. His parents were Vict ...

and

Harmonien The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is a Norwegian orchestra based in Bergen. Its principal concert venue is the Grieg Hall. History Established in 1765 under the name ''Det Musicalske Selskab'' (The Musical Society), it later changed its name t ...

. Tveitt made sketches for more suites, but they were lost in the fire in 1970.

Discography

Simax Classics released a recording of suite one in 1989, performed by Per Dreier and the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

BIS Records BIS Records is a record label founded in 1973 by Robert von Bahr. It is located in Åkersberga, Sweden. BIS focuses on classical music, both contemporary and early, especially works that are not already well represented by existing recordings. ...

released suites one and two on CD in December 1998, titled ''100 Folk-tunes from Hardanger'' and performed by the conductor Ole Kristian Ruud and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. In July 2001 and January 2002, Naxos released two CDs with performances by the conductor

Bjarte Engeset Bjarte Engeset (born 25 August 1958 in Ørsta) is a Norwegian classical conductor. Biography and career Bjarte Engeset studied music at the University of Georgia, Grieg Akademiet in Norway, and Sibelius Academy in Finland, in 1988, with Jorm ...

and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, under the title ''A Hundred Hardanger Tunes''. The first CD features suites one and four, and the second features suites two and five.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hundred Hardanger Tunes Compositions by Geirr Tveitt Norwegian folk music Compositions for symphony orchestra 1954 compositions 1955 compositions 1958 compositions 1963 compositions