Posts Tagged Culture
More good music from Østfold
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature, Photos and videos on May 7, 2010
Navigators
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature on May 7, 2010
This band, whose members come from Halden and Fredrikstad, has been touted as the next big thing in Norwegian rock, and the lead singer, Trond Andreassen, is regarded by many as one of Norway’s best rock vocalists. He was the main man behind the successful, but now split, Ricochets, who went their separate ways three years ago.
Navigators single ‘Wall of stone’, out on Sony Music, has been getting a lot of airtime on Norwegian airwaves of late (see video above), and their debut album, The Straight And Narrow, which was recorded in Halden, has been a big success since its release in February this year. They will be performing at the popular Øya Festival in August.
More info at www.navigators.no
In the Hall of the Mountain King (Dovregubbens Hall)
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature, Photos and videos on April 9, 2010
This is one of the most popular music pieces written by Edvard Grieg, Norway’s most famous composer (1843-1907). Taken from the Peer Gynt Suite (the music Grieg wrote to accompany Henrik Ibsen’s play of the same name). Both are classics! The troll pic is by Norwegian artist Theodor Kittelsen (1857-1914).
Art exhibitions in Fredrikstad
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature, Photos and videos on March 29, 2010
Østfold Art Centre (Østfold Kunstnersenter)
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature on March 29, 2010
Østfold Art Centre is the main venue in Fredrikstad for visual and applied arts. The artist-run centre, which is housed in a 1800s white wooden building on Fergestedsveien, puts on temporary exhibitions throughout the year, showcasing the work of many local artists, as well as that of other Norwegian artists. Exhibition space spreads over two floors. There is a cosy cafe on site, and a shop. The centre so handles commissions for public and private spaces, arranges workshops and lectures, and collaborates on educational projects for children.
Fergestedsveien 5. Tel: 69 31 09 95, www.kunstnersenter.no/oks/ (Norwegian only). Open Wed-Sun 1200-1700 (gallery); Wed-Thur 1100-1800 (Fri til 2200) and Sat-Sun 1200-1700 (Kafé Nyt). Free entry.
Norway’s first professional orchestra, Halden
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature on March 24, 2010
The Norwegian Wind Ensemble (Blåseensemblet)
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature on March 24, 2010
The Norwegian Wind Ensemble was Norway’s first professional orchestra, founded back in 1734 (it celebrated 275 years last year). The ensemble dates back to the early days when musicians were first contracted at the Fredriksten Fortress in Halden, Østfold, and the current ensemble is the last one in an unbroken line of professional orchestras since that time. They are known for their focus on early music, and some of the instruments they use are almost 150 years old, which is very old for wind instruments. The ensemble, which currently counts 23 windplayers and 3 percussionists within its ranks, is still based in Halden, and collaborates closely with both the Norwegian Academy of Music and The Norwegian Opera and Ballet. It is the only one of its kind in Norway.
For more info about the Norwegian Wind Ensemble visit www.dnbe.no
‘5 fra Østfold’, Galleri Gerner in Moss
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature, News on March 12, 2010
Interested in art? Then check out the ‘5 fra Østfold’ exhibition at Gallery Gerner in Moss, opening tomorrow (13 March 2010), and discover the work of five local artists all under one roof. From paintings by artists with such different styles as Erik Formoe and Dag Ronny Pettersen, to digital art by Tom Bjørnland and Karl Orud, and sculptures by Petter Hepsø, there is bound to be something for every taste. The exhibition is on until 4 April, and entry is free.
Henrik Gerners gate 7, Moss. Tel: 69 25 77 75, www.ghg.as. Opening times: Tue-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat-Sun 12pm-4pm.
Out Stealing Horses (Per Petterson, 2003)
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature on March 9, 2010
67-year-old Trond has moved from the city to a rustic cabin by the Swedish border, in an isolated part of eastern Norway. After the death of his wife and sister, he has no great ambitions for the rest of his life, which he plans to live out as quietly as possible in his new country retreat. But an impromptu meeting with his neighbour, Lars, forces him to reflect on events that took place some 50 years earlier, in the summer of 1948. A summer that was to have a profound impact on the rest of his life, although Trond knew nothing of it at the time. A beautiful, soberly written yet deeply felt novel about youth, love, loss and life itself, Nordic in tone and setting, but universal in the themes in encompasses.
The winner of various prestigious literary awards, including the 2007 Dublin IMPAC Award, Out Stealing Horses was also named in Time magazine as one of the Top 10 Fiction Books of 2007. The book has sold 230,000 copies worldwide and spent 70 weeks on the Norwegian bestseller list. The English edition was translated by Anne Born.
Praise for Out Stealing Horses:
“A gripping account of such originality as to expand the reader’s own experience of life.” Thomas McGuane, The New York Times Book Review
“From the first terse sentences of this mesmerizing Norwegian novel about youth, memory, and, yes, horse stealing, you know you’re in the hands of a master storyteller.” Newsweek
“Petterson’s spare and deliberate prose has astonishing force.” The New Yorker
“Petterson tells a Bergman-esque tale of a solitary man coming to grips with his past…” Entertainment Weekly
“That’s the effect of Per Petterson’s award-winning novel: It hits you in the heart at close range.” Alan Cheuse, NPR’s All Things Considered
“A masterpiece of tough romance . . . ” The New York Sun