Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of Norwegian folk music in his own compositions brought the music of Norway to fame, as well as helping to develop a national identity, much as Jean Sibelius did in Finland and Bedřich Smetana in Bohemia.
Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas.
Drammen is a city and municipality in Viken, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such as Konnerud, Svelvik, Mjøndalen and Skoger.
Leif Ove Andsnes is a Norwegian pianist and chamber musician. Andsnes has made several recordings for Virgin and EMI. In 2012, Leif Ove Andsnes has signed to Sony Classical, and recorded for the label the "Beethoven Journey" project, which included the composer's five piano concertos with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. The works were recorded over three years, beginning with Piano Concertos Nos 1 and 3 in 2012, followed by Concertos Nos 2 and 4 in 2013 and the Fifth Piano Concerto and Choral Fantasy in 2014. He is represented by IMG.
Sissel Kyrkjebø, also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.
Håvard Gimse is a Norwegian classical pianist from Kongsvinger, and the brother of the cellist Øyvind Gimse. He has received the Griegprisen (1996) and the Steinway Award (1995). Gimse has done several recordings for Naim Audio, Naxos Records, Sony Classical Records, Chandos Records and Simax.
Arve Tellefsen is a Norwegian violinist who has worked with conductors such as Mariss Jansons, Arvid Jansons, Herbert Blomstedt, Gary Bertini, Evgeny Svetlanov, Bryden Thomson, Neeme Järvi, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Paavo Berglund, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Walter Weller and Zubin Mehta. In the UK, he has appeared with the Royal Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, The Hallé, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Welsh Orchestra, the Liverpool Philharmonic and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Ole Olsen was a Norwegian organist, composer, conductor and military musician.
Til ungdommen, also known by the words of the first line Kringsatt av fiender, is a poem from 1936 by Norwegian poet and writer Nordahl Grieg (1902–1943). It was set to music in 1952 by the Danish composer Otto Mortensen (1907–1986). The song has been recorded by various artists and has been sung at meetings held by various organizations. After the terror attacks of 22 July 2011, it was used in many memorial gatherings and services.
Peer Gynt, Op. 23, is the incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's 1867 play of the same name, written by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg in 1875. It premiered along with the play on 24 February 1876 in Christiania.
Solveig Kringlebotn, better known outside Norway as Solveig Kringelborn, is an internationally known Norwegian operatic soprano.
Herman Wildenvey, born Herman Theodor Portaas, was one of the most prominent Norwegian poets of the twentieth century. During his lifetime he published 44 books of his own poetry, in addition to translations of William Shakespeare, Ernest Hemingway, and Heinrich Heine. He was married to the novelist Gisken Wildenvey.
Carsten Thorvald Woll (1885-1962) was a leading Norwegian-American singer and recording artist of the 1910s and 1920s.
Ted Johnson was a Swedish-American violinist, who led a popular Scandinavian dance band in the Twin Cities during the 1930s and 1940s.
Morten Halle is a Norwegian jazz musician (saxophone), composer and music arranger. He was born in Oslo, and he is known from the city's jazz scene and from a series recordings.
Carl G. O. Hansen was a Norwegian-American journalist, musician and author.
Solveig Heilo, simply known as Sol Heilo, is a Norwegian composer, artist, musician, music producer, arranger, designer and costume designer. She is mostly known for the band Katzenjammer.
Ottar Edvardsen Akre was a Norwegian accordionist, composer, and educator, known for his many recordings and ensembles.
Harald Trygve Henschien was an accordionist, composer, accordion manufacturer, editor, and the founder of the music magazine Rytme (Rhythm). He started his career as a performing musician at age 13 and became a prominent figure in Norwegian accordion and popular music.
Sally Sloane was possibly the most important Australian "source musician" to have been recorded during the Australian folk music revival of the 1950s and onwards; a number of her songs and tunes were passed down via her mother from her Irish grandmother, who emigrated to Australia in 1838. A resident of Lithgow, New South Wales and in her 60s at the time of her "discovery" by Australian folklorist John Meredith in 1954, she was an accomplished player of button accordion, fiddle and mouth organ as well as a singer. On a number of visits over the period 1954–1960, Meredith recorded over 150 items from her; these recordings are now in the collection of the National Library of Australia, and transcriptions of almost 40 of them were included, with accompanying notes, in his seminal 1967 book "Folk Songs of Australia; And the Men and Women Who Sang Them". She was also visited and recorded by other collectors and at least one LP recording of her singing, "A Garland For Sally", was released, by Warren Fahey's Larrikin Records.
