Sigmund Groven
Encyclopedia
Sigmund Groven is a Norwegian
classical harmonica
player, today considered one of the world's leading classical harmonica
players. He plays with a large number of the world's leading musicians and orchestras, and he has made about 22 recordings yet in his own name. His repertoire ranges from popular and folk music to his own compositions, from Bach to contemporary music.
In 1971 Sigmund Groven presented his first original composition; the music to Erik Bye
's poem, "Så spiller vi harmonica". Sigmund Groven continued to work with Erik Bye on a number of songs and projects.
. Composers who have written music especially for Sigmund Groven include Øistein Sommerfeldt, Terje Rypdal
, James Moody
, Johan Kvandal, Oddvar S. Kvam, Ketil Bjørnstad
, Kristian Lindeman, Henning Sommerro
, Iver Kleive, Egil Kapstad, Kenneth Sivertsen, Johan Øian, John Surman, Siegfried Steinkogler, Lars Tilling, and Fried Walter.
Soundtracks include the films "For Tors skyld" and "Fuglekongen", and the TV documentary series "Vi på Langedrag".
Many of Sigmund Groven's recordings have become part of the Norwegian cultural heritage. Reodors ballade (by Bent Fabricius-Bjerre) from the movie "Flåklypa Grand Prix
", "Svalbard theme" by Bøhren & Åserud, and a version of Henning Sommero's "Vårsøg" are among the instrumental classics of Norwegian music, loved by several generations.
Sigmund Groven has recorded 22 albums ranging from original music via Beatles hits to classical works. His albums are sold worldwide and he enjoy great popularity in Asia. Sigmund Groven has toured all over the world with solo recitals from New York (Carnegie Hall) to Tokyo (Casals Hall). In 2002 he became the first harmonica-player to appear as soloist with the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg giving the world premiere of Siegfried Steinkogler’s Harmonica Concerto, and has performed with symphony and chamber orchestras in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia, including Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the radio orchestras of Berlin, Munich, Brussels, Stockholm and London, the Hong Kong City Chamber Orchestra and orchestras in Quebec, Dallas, Minneapolis and Anchorage. He has been featured at festivals and major events in Washington (Smithsonian Institution), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Toronto, most major cities in western Europe as well as Budapest, Belgrade, Athens, also Riydah, Jeddah, Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul, Kyoto and Yokohama.
1976: Music for two Harmonicas (with Tommy Reilly)
1977: Musikk for en lang natt (with Ketil Bjørnstad)
1979: Motlys
1981: Musikken inni oss (with Arve Tellefsen)
1981: Kom sol på alle mine berg (with Geirr Lystrup)
1981: Lævandes dikt (with Ove Røsbak, Iver Kleive)
1983: Songar utan ord (with Henning Sommerro)
1986: Colour Slides
1988: Aria
1990: Nordisk natt
1991: Nattønsker
1993: Siesta
1995: Til Telemark
1996: I godt lag
1998: Harmonica Album
2000: Innunder jul (with Iver Kleive, Anne Vada)
2001: Vi på Langedrag
2003: Over the Rainbow
2004: Here, There and Everywhere (with The Norwegian Radio Orchestra under the direction of John Wilson)
2005: PhilHarmonica (with The Norwegian Radio Orchestra under the direction of Christian Eggen)
2007: Grieg Album (with Ivar Anton Waagaard, Kåre Nordstoga, and The Norwegian Radio Orchestra under the direction of Peter Szilvay)
2010: HarmOrgan (with Iver Kleive)
There are three recent recordings with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra
. The first is an album featuring works for harmonica and orchestra by Sir George Martin
, as well as his arrangements of Lennon/McCartney
songs and other shorter pieces. The second is followed by PhilHarmonica, a CD of serious original works by Darius Milhaud
, Heitor Villa-Lobos
and Scandinavian contemporary composers. The third is an album of adaptions of the music of Edvard Grieg
.
The latest addition to his discography is "HarmOrgan" together with organist Iver Kleive, an album of baroque works by Bach and Handel plus original pieces by Groven and Kleive recorded in Surround Sound, Blu-ray format by Lindberg Lyd and released on the prestigious 2L label.
Sigmund plays a custom-made Polle silver concert harmonica.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
classical harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
player, today considered one of the world's leading classical harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
players. He plays with a large number of the world's leading musicians and orchestras, and he has made about 22 recordings yet in his own name. His repertoire ranges from popular and folk music to his own compositions, from Bach to contemporary music.
Influences and early career
Sigmund Groven grew up in a family with rich music and cultural traditions. His uncle was the folk musician and composer, Eivind Groven. As a child, Sigmund Groven heard Tommy Reilly playing harmonica on radio, and was fascinated by what he heard. From 1960, Sigmund Groven studied with Reilly in London. In 1965 Groven performed as a solo artist for the first time, and has since often been seen and heard on TV and radio. Sigmund Groven has worked as a music producer, radio presenter, programme producer for radio and as a music teacher, at Norwegian universities and at master-classes around the world.In 1971 Sigmund Groven presented his first original composition; the music to Erik Bye
Erik Bye
Erik Erikssønn Bye was a versatile Norwegian journalist,artist, author, film actor, folk singer and radio and television personality...
's poem, "Så spiller vi harmonica". Sigmund Groven continued to work with Erik Bye on a number of songs and projects.
Collaborations, soundtracks, main works
Sigmund Groven has contributed to over 250 recordings, and has written more than 350 original compositions, from children's songs and instrumental ballads to movie and TV soundtracks, and works on a larger scale. He has written music to lyrics and poems by Ove Røsbak, Halvor J.Sandsdalen, Tarjei Vesaas, Olav Kaste, Hans Børli, Josef G.Larssen and Erik ByeErik Bye
Erik Erikssønn Bye was a versatile Norwegian journalist,artist, author, film actor, folk singer and radio and television personality...
. Composers who have written music especially for Sigmund Groven include Øistein Sommerfeldt, Terje Rypdal
Terje Rypdal
Terje Rypdal is a Norwegian guitarist and composer. Most of his music has been released on albums of the German record label ECM. Rypdal has collaborated both as a guitarist and as a composer with other ECM artists such as Ketil Bjørnstad and David Darling...
, James Moody
James Moody (composer)
James Moody composed a wealth of music for the classical harmonica, including twenty-two works for harmonica and piano, three works for harmonica and strings, eight works for harmonica and orchestra, and some two dozen other works for instrumental combinations such as harmonica and harp, harmonica...
, Johan Kvandal, Oddvar S. Kvam, Ketil Bjørnstad
Ketil Bjørnstad
Ketil Bjørnstad is a Norwegian pianist and composer. Initially trained as a classical pianist, Bjørnstad discovered jazz at an early age and has embraced the emergence of "European jazz"....
, Kristian Lindeman, Henning Sommerro
Henning Sommerro
Henning Sommerro is a Norwegian musician, composer and music teacher.- Biography :Sommerro grew up on the Sommerro farm at Skei in Surnadal...
, Iver Kleive, Egil Kapstad, Kenneth Sivertsen, Johan Øian, John Surman, Siegfried Steinkogler, Lars Tilling, and Fried Walter.
Soundtracks include the films "For Tors skyld" and "Fuglekongen", and the TV documentary series "Vi på Langedrag".
Many of Sigmund Groven's recordings have become part of the Norwegian cultural heritage. Reodors ballade (by Bent Fabricius-Bjerre) from the movie "Flåklypa Grand Prix
Flåklypa Grand Prix
Flåklypa Grand Prix is a Norwegian stop motion-animated feature film directed by Ivo Caprino. It was released in 1975 and is based on characters from a series of books by Norwegian cartoonist and author Kjell Aukrust...
", "Svalbard theme" by Bøhren & Åserud, and a version of Henning Sommero's "Vårsøg" are among the instrumental classics of Norwegian music, loved by several generations.
Sigmund Groven has recorded 22 albums ranging from original music via Beatles hits to classical works. His albums are sold worldwide and he enjoy great popularity in Asia. Sigmund Groven has toured all over the world with solo recitals from New York (Carnegie Hall) to Tokyo (Casals Hall). In 2002 he became the first harmonica-player to appear as soloist with the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg giving the world premiere of Siegfried Steinkogler’s Harmonica Concerto, and has performed with symphony and chamber orchestras in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia, including Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the radio orchestras of Berlin, Munich, Brussels, Stockholm and London, the Hong Kong City Chamber Orchestra and orchestras in Quebec, Dallas, Minneapolis and Anchorage. He has been featured at festivals and major events in Washington (Smithsonian Institution), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Toronto, most major cities in western Europe as well as Budapest, Belgrade, Athens, also Riydah, Jeddah, Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul, Kyoto and Yokohama.
Solo discography (original titles)
1975: Så spiller vi harmonica1976: Music for two Harmonicas (with Tommy Reilly)
1977: Musikk for en lang natt (with Ketil Bjørnstad)
1979: Motlys
1981: Musikken inni oss (with Arve Tellefsen)
1981: Kom sol på alle mine berg (with Geirr Lystrup)
1981: Lævandes dikt (with Ove Røsbak, Iver Kleive)
1983: Songar utan ord (with Henning Sommerro)
1986: Colour Slides
1988: Aria
1990: Nordisk natt
1991: Nattønsker
1993: Siesta
1995: Til Telemark
1996: I godt lag
1998: Harmonica Album
2000: Innunder jul (with Iver Kleive, Anne Vada)
2001: Vi på Langedrag
2003: Over the Rainbow
2004: Here, There and Everywhere (with The Norwegian Radio Orchestra under the direction of John Wilson)
2005: PhilHarmonica (with The Norwegian Radio Orchestra under the direction of Christian Eggen)
2007: Grieg Album (with Ivar Anton Waagaard, Kåre Nordstoga, and The Norwegian Radio Orchestra under the direction of Peter Szilvay)
2010: HarmOrgan (with Iver Kleive)
There are three recent recordings with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra
Norwegian Radio Orchestra
The Norwegian Radio Orchestra is a Norwegian orchestra affiliated with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation . Its principal base is the Store Studio at the NRK headquarters in Oslo....
. The first is an album featuring works for harmonica and orchestra by Sir George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
, as well as his arrangements of Lennon/McCartney
Lennon/McCartney
The Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership is one of the best-known and most successful musical collaborations in history...
songs and other shorter pieces. The second is followed by PhilHarmonica, a CD of serious original works by Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
, Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known and most significant Latin American composer to date. He wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works...
and Scandinavian contemporary composers. The third is an album of adaptions of the music of Edvard Grieg
Edvard Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
.
The latest addition to his discography is "HarmOrgan" together with organist Iver Kleive, an album of baroque works by Bach and Handel plus original pieces by Groven and Kleive recorded in Surround Sound, Blu-ray format by Lindberg Lyd and released on the prestigious 2L label.
Sigmund plays a custom-made Polle silver concert harmonica.