These are the seven best works by modern Scandinavian composers....
Ludvig Irgens-Jensen Passacaglia
Even though this century-old piece pushes the boundaries of ‘modern’, it is too fantastic to leave off the list. Written for a 1928 competition celebrating Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’ Symphony, it was an immediate triumph, championed by Toscanini and the Berlin Philharmonic before fading into obscurity. It is high time for a rediscovery. Heavily inspired by Mahler, this richly contrapuntal work weaves in Norwegian folk elements and nods to Grieg’s Peer Gynt. Much like Schubert’s masterpiece, it maps a journey from melancholy to light. If you enter this piece feeling heavy-hearted, you’ll leave it filled with genuine hope.
Rolf Gupta Earth’s Song
Written in 2019, this massive piece by half-Norwegian, half-Indian composer Rolf Gupta is an epic statement about the state of the Earth. Gupta insists that he ‘received’ this piece as a gift, as though he were merely a conduit, which is fascinating because it does feel as though it descended to Earth in complete, perfect form, and it is completely different from his other works. Stylistically, it's such a mix: the texts are from different scriptures, and the music combines Mahlerian influence with Indian folk. But as a whole, it's so organic; every note feels inevitable.
More best modern Scandinavian works....
Geirr Tveitt Hundred Folktunes from Hardanger
Hardanger is a fjord area in Norway with a rich folklore and folk music tradition. Tveitt – a composer from the early 1900s who spent a lot of time in Paris – collected many of its folk tunes and orchestrated them. The result is a perfect meeting between the most rural parts of Norway and the most elegant cafés in Paris, and the way Tveitt uses the orchestra is unique: almost impressionist in colour. Tragically, a massive portion of his music is forever lost to us: he stored all his manuscripts in a barn in Hardanger, which burned down. But what we do have is genius.
Harald Sæverud The Ballad of Revolt
This piece was Harald Sæverud’s furious response to seeing German barracks in the Norwegian mountains during World War II. He wrote it for piano, circulating it secretly as an act of resistance against the German occupation until the end of the war, when he added orchestration. And it became his biggest hit – an extremely powerful work that begins with a faraway fanfare, gathers momentum and ends in a ferocious scream. It still serves as Norway’s ultimate musical protest against political injustice, performed in recent years to show solidarity following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
More best modern Scandinavian works....
Kristine Tjøgersen Pelagic Dreamscape
This 2023 piece about life above and under the sea by the Norwegian composer Kristine Tjøgersen was inspired by the archipelagic landscape on the north Norwegian coast, and it’s a phenomenal depiction. You hear the birds; you hear the fish. I didn’t know that fish could make sounds, but in this piece it feels like they do. As a whole, the work has a unique tonal language that feels like entering a completely new world. Tjøgersen is still in her early career, but she is a composer to pay attention to.
Lisa Streich Ishjärta
Lisa Streich’s Ishjärta, premiered in 2023, is both fragile and brutal, and goes to the core of what it means to be human. In this piece, which explores whether we can sense contradictory feelings at the same time, I hear the risks we take by daring to love. There is a lost innocence to it and a feeling that nothing will ever be the same again, like the aftermath of an atomic bomb. Familiar and terrifying, warm and cold, this piece made a big impact on me the first time I heard it.
More best modern Scandinavian works....
Rued Langgaard Music of the Spheres
This work is from 1918, but so ahead of its time that I think it qualifies for this list. Inspired by the ancient Greek notion of the music of the spheres, it’s completely bonkers with a huge orchestra, soloists and choirs. And the text doesn’t make any sense at all. But it is a masterpiece, featuring moments where almost every string player has their own independent line. Listening to it is like looking through several layers of chiffon, each with a slightly different shade; you don’t know exactly what you’re looking at, but the effect is an incredible tapestry of light.
Who is Tabita Berglund?
Born in Trøndelag, Norway, Tabita Berglund studied cello at the Trondheim Conservatory and the Norwegian Academy of Music (NMH), later playing with ensembles such as the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2015 she discovered a passion for conducting and subsequently earned a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from NMH. Berglund has since been appointed as principal guest conductor for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Dresden Philharmonic. She was recently announced as the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra’s next chief conductor, from August 2027 – the first woman ever appointed to the role.
