Countdown to Syttende Mai--A-ha

Amongst all of the music that has come out of Norway, none is more popular world-wide then that of the band A-ha. Whether or not an individual is familiar with the band, most everyone is familiar with their first hit "Take On Me." While a-ha's popularity in the United States declined after their first few albums, their world-round renown has remained strong. According to Wikipedia, a-ha set an impressive record for rock history: "At the Rock in Rio II festival in January 1991, a-ha shocked the international entertainment press by gathering a paying audience of 198,000 people at Maracanã Stadium - a world record for paying audiences." But it is a mistake to think of a-ha as a one-hit wonder or a band from the past. In my own opinion they have several strong albums and a few weaker ones. Also, in my opinion, the weaker albums occurred in the late 80s and early 90's. Since that time they have produced stronger and better albums that far out-weigh their debut album which everyone knows them for. Their last three albums are nothing short of amazing: "Analogue" (2005), "Lifelines" (2002), and "Minor Earth Major Sky" (2000). Each of these albums has proven that a-ha continues to get better and better with each release. Following these three albums "Hunting High and Low" (1985) and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" (1990) are my favorite. While "Scoundrel Days" (1986), "Stay on these Roads" (1988), and "Memorial Beach" (1993) have some good songs on the albums, the overall creativity, talent, and pleasure of listening is lacking in comparison to the other albums.
Ultimately, the band has matured in both content and sound and honestly has become one of my top 5 bands of all time (actually my favorite, depending upon my mood at the time--if one looks at the play count in my itunes, three of the 10 most played songs are from a-ha).
Anyhow, here are a few of the music videos for the band. I will load them in chronological order for you.
First, the hit "Take On Me" from the "Hunting High and Low" album:

Next, "Crying in the Rain" from the "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" album:

Also, "I Wish I Cared" from the "Minor Earth, Major Sky" album"

Here is a live performance of one of my favorite songs, "You'll Never Get Over Me" also from the "Minor Earth, Major Sky" album:

Here is a video from their album "Lifelines." This song is titled, "Did Anyone Approach You." It is another of my a-ha favorites:

And from their most recent album "Analogue" their song "Analogue," which is the number one song on my itunes play count. It is a song that I have also had many of my friends get addicted to!:

Anyhow, I hope that you have enjoyed a little journey through some of the music that a-ha has produced over the years and that you have rediscovered one of the greatest bands of all time. . . and they happen to be from Norway!

Countdown to Syttende Mai--Ole Bull and Rikard Nordraak

While we are on the topic of classical music and now that you are familiar with Edvard Grieg, it is important to note two great influences on Grieg who are also Norwegian: Ole Bull and Rikard Nordraak. Ole Bull was a great violinist (well renowned throughout Europe in his day) who saw within Grieg a great potential at a young age. It was Bull who made it possible for Grieg to study overseas and develop his talents. During his studies in Denmark, Grieg met and befriended another student of music, Rikard Nordraak. Nordraak is credited with assisting Grieg in championing the folk influences from Norway into the classical compositions which he wrote. Nordraak is the composer of Norway's national anthem, but unfortunately, he died from TB at the young age of twenty-two. Grieg composed the following funeral march in honor of Nordraak (Sørgemarsj over Rikard Nordraak):

Countdown to Syttende Mai--Edvard Grieg

Most Americans know little to nothing concerning Norway, yet most will readily recognize things that are Norwegian without knowing that they are Norwegian. Case and point: Edvard Grieg. By mere mention of the name Grieg many are still at a loss, yet once the music begins to play seemingly all reply, "I know this song!" Hence, most everyone knows Grieg without knowing Grieg!
Edvard Grieg has many famous compositions. He wrote during Norway's National Romantic Period and employed many elements of the Norwegian folk tradition. I could go on and on about the life and works of Edvard Grieg, but I won't. If you are interested in learning more you may wish to check this out.
You may also wish to listen to a few of the works of Edvard Grieg. Some of the slide shows found on youtube that accompany his work are good, while others. . . well, you know.
This first video has pictures from Norway and is a composition titled, "Våren" (Last Spring):

This second video (which isn't a video at all) is a composition titled, "Morgenstemning" (Morning Mood). It is the one that most American's recognize as it has been used in many commercials and Saturday morning cartoons:

"I Dovregubbens hall" (In the Hall of the Mountain King) is another popular composition by Grieg. It has also been hijacked commercially in the United States:

This next composition is hauntingly beautiful. It is titled, "Aases død" (The death of Aase):

And finally, let's end on a happy note with "Anitras dans" (Anitra's Dance) from an old vinyl record:

Well, I hope that you enjoyed your exposure to Grieg! There is much more to his repertoire and I own a lot of it, so feel free to come on over for a listen or borrow one of the cds!
p.s. All of the above compositions are from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, which happens to be the first songs of Grieg that I was exposed to, causing me to become an avid fan of Grieg and leading me to a love of classical music.