FULL Den blå ro or The Blue Calm (Søderlind) TV-Opera Oslo 1977

Information on the Performance

• Work Title: Den blå ro or The Blue Calm  
• Composer: Søderlind Ragnar   
• Libretto: based on "Esther" by Sigbjørn Obstfelder    Libretto Text, Libretto Index
• Venue & Opera Company: TV-Studio, Oslo, Norway  
• Recorded: 1977
• Type: Staged Opera Live
• Singers: Else Dehli, Anne Gjevang, Knut Skram
• Conductor: Kjell Ingebretsen  
• Orchestra: Kringkastingsorkestret  
• Stage Director:   
• Stage Designer: Rijk van Ravens  
• Costume Designer: Mabi Helweg  
• Lighting Designer: Oigard Storbraten  

Information about the Recording

• Published by: nrk  
• TV Director: Stein-Roger Bull  
• Date Published: 1977  
• Format: Broadcast
• Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
• Subtitles: nosubs  

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE

  Ragnar Søderlind (born 27 June 1945 ) is a Norwegian composer. His work is characterized as neo-romantic. He is professor emeritus in composition and instrumentation at the Norwegian Academy of Music .

  As a teenager, he performed the orchestral work “Jølsterslåt” op. 2 and since then he has over 88 opus to show for it, including eight symphonies, a violin and a cello concerto, the ballets “Hedda Gabler” ( Henrik Ibsen ), “Kristin Lavransdatter” ( Sigrid Undset ) and “Victoria” (Knut Hamsun), the operas “Esther og den blå ro” ( Sigbjørn Obstfelder ) and “Rose og Ravn” (Knut J. Moe) and a number of orchestral and vocal works. In addition, he completed Edvard Grieg’s opera about Olav Tryggvason , which had a delayed premiere in 2000 .

  The symphonic poem “Rokkomborrex 1967 was Söderlind’s breakthrough as a symphonist. The mountain Rokkomborre and the northern Norwegian nature are the source of inspiration for the work. With the symphonic poem “Polaris” 1968-70, Söderlind further develops the technique of depicting nature in which the pictorial presentation of emotions and natural experiences is enhanced. A growing commitment to society is reflected in works such as “Trauermusik” – written in protest against the Soviet Union’s invasion of Czechoslovakia and the war in Biafra in 1968. Symphony no. 2 (1980).

  A scenic approach to the compositions is particularly evident in Söderlind’s operas where “Esther and the Blue Calm” can be seen as a scenic symphony and his music for ballets where, among other things, Hedda Gabler” represents his choreographically symphonic poems. Arthur Rimbaud’s poetry collection Les Illuminations forms the starting point for Söderlind’s third symphony (1984) which is sung alternately by a soprano and a baritone.His fourth symphony was commissioned by the Oslo Philharmonic and premiered in 1992. Other recent works include a cello concerto and the ballet “Livets dans” based on Edvard Munch’s art. The latter was a commission from Den Norske Opera in connection with the cultural program during the Olympics in Lillehammer 1994. Symphony no. 5 was a commission for the Festivals in Bergen , where Söderlind was festival composer in 1995.

  As a composer, Söderlind is mostly self-taught. He has, however, studied counterpoint with Conrad Baden (1965-66) and composition at the Sibelius Academy Helsinki (1967-68) with Erik Bergman and Joonas Kokkonen as teachers. In 1976 he received his diploma in conducting at the Norwegian Academy of Music . He has written commissioned works for almost all major music institutions in Norway, such as the Norwegian Opera & Ballet and the Bergen Festival. He has received several orders from the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and from institutions abroad.

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