Norwegian musicians to perform in concert, celebrating works by esteemed poet

Nov. 3—GRAND FORKS — Norwegian musicians Reidun Horvei and Inger-Kristine Riber will present a musical program, titled "RIT," at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Josephine Campbell Recital Hall at UND's Hughes Fine Arts Center.

The concert is sponsored by the UND Norwegian Program, Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, and the College of Arts and Sciences. A reception is planned for 3:30 p.m. in the Anna Mae Room.

The concert combines an introduction to the poetry of Norwegian poet Olav H. Hauge with music composed to illustrate the meaning of the poems. The term "rit" is Old Norwegian for "write" or "sketch," said Jan Strandlie of Thief River Falls, event organizer.

The program will also be performed at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, at Northland Community and Technical College auditorium in Thief River Falls. The performances are sponsored by the Sons of Norway Snorre Lodge in Thief River Falls.

Katherine Jane Hanson, who will introduce the program and the poet, is an affiliate associate professor of Scandinavian studies at the University of Washington. She met Hauge while pursuing her doctoral degree and "knows his poetry in a deep way," said Strandlie.

Hanson collaborated with Horvei and Riber on the creation of "RIT," which had its premiere at the Ulvik Poetry Festival on Sept. 5, 2021. Over the following six weeks, "RIT" was performed 25 times throughout western Norway, Strandlie said.

The production had its North American premiere Oct. 23 at Norway House in Minneapolis. The musicians' U.S. tour, which also includes stops in South Dakota and Washington state, will conclude in New York City next week.

Classical pianist Riber imagined and composed the stage production of "RIT." Singer Horvei, county singer in Vestland, recites the poetry and sings pieces that Riber composed.

The artists' goal in this performance is to bring the audience into thoughts, feelings and space they've never visited before, Strandlie said. RIT is shaped like a monologue that alternates between recitation, narration and song. The work shows a development with moments of humor, drama, anxiety, but also a calmness that offers openness, reflection, meditation and greater experience of Hauge's poetry.

Hauge, a lifelong resident of Ulvik, Norway, on the Hardangerfjord, enjoyed both critical and popular success during his lifetime, Strandlie said. Since his death in 1994, his stature has only grown, Strandlie said. His poems have been translated into more than 20 languages. His iconic poem, "Det er den draumen" ("This is the dream"), was recently designated as Norway's national poem. The poems in this song cycle follow the seasons of the year while marking developments in Hauge's poetry and personal life.

Horvei and Riber also performed in Thief River Falls in 2018, when they presented a musical program, "Migrasong," a composition about Norwegian immigration to North America.

Horvei, a longtime freelance soprano and folk singer, has conducted concert tours in many parts of Norway with special programs, ranging from classical music to folk song to contemporary music.

Horvei and Riber recently collaborated with the Seattle-Bergen String Quartet on a Norwegian Christmas program, "Vintersong," performing in Seattle, Bergen and throughout Hordaland in Norway.

Katherine Jane Hanson received the Amboltprisen (Anvil Award) by the Friends of Olav H. Hauge Association in 2021. The award recognizes extraordinary contributors to the knowledge and promotion of awareness of Hauge's poetry. Minnesota poet Robert Bly, one of Hauge's translators, also received the prestigious literary prize in 2008.