Pianist Oda Voltersvik returns to Seattle
- Lori Ann Reinhall
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Presenting the music of Edvard Grieg and composers in his wake
On Sunday, May 3, Bergen-based pianist Oda Voltersvik returns to Seattle at Ballard First Lutheran Church at 2 PM with her new program, "Grieg in Dialogue." The performance brings the music of Bergen and Norway's most famous composer to the stage as well as pieces by other composers influenced by Edvard Grieg (1843 – 1907), both inside and outside of Scandinavia.
The concert is sponsored by the Northwest Edvard Grieg Society (NWEGS) as part of its Nordic Chamber Music series. The Sons of Norway Leif Erikson Lodge and the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association (SBSCA) will be there to provide support for this special event, which will include a post-concert reception, where concertgoers will have to the chance to meet with the performer.
No stranger to Seattle
Oda is no stranger to the Seattle stage and holds a special affinity for our city. In a recent interview, she talked about how she feels at home in Seattle and pointed out that Bergen and Seattle have much in common : "The two cities share a humid climate, steep hills ,and fish markets, " she says, adding that "Seattle is a much larger city!"
Seattle was also where she launched her U.S. performing career, with a NWEGS concert at the National Nordic Museum in 2019. Since then, she has been back several times to collaborate with the NWEGS and SBSCA, groups that work closely together.
The sister-city exchange has also gone in the other direction. A highlight was a performance with Seattle cellist Christine Lee in Bergen's historic Haakon's Hall for the 2024 tour "Nordic Unrest, a program that was later repeated in Seattle.
Musical diplomacy
Oda could be described as a musical diplomat who supports both cultural enrichment and people-to-people exchange. She especially enjoys interacting with American audiences, who she finds to be very open and receptive.
"They don’t hold back their spontaneous expressions, whether it’s vocal enthusiasm or sometimes standing ovations," she says. "It is very nice to be able to have conversations that go beyond the formality of the concert, as you get an impression on the effect the chosen music and the performance had."
Now, after eight U.S. tours, Oda has a strong following on this side of the Atlantic: in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, in New York and the East Coast, and throughout the Midwest. She cannot remember a single instance when she has had any CDs left to bring home at the end of a tour.
Grieg as a musical pathfinder
Like many musicians and critics, Oda views Grieg as one of the most successful composers of his time, both nationally and in a European context. But while Grieg is mainly known for capturing the spirit of the National Romantic era, she emphasizes that he also contributed to leading the way to Impressionistic ideas with his musical impressions of nature. In Oda's words, "He made some radical musical choices, which could not be ignored by leading Impressionist composers. of his day."
Musical dialogues
The first dialogue in Oda's new program features the Swedish composer Wilhelm Peterson-Berger (1867 – 1942), well known in Scandinavia, Peterson-Berger knew Grieg personally and openly acknowledged the Norwegian's influence on his work.
Like Grieg, he wrote piano pieces that were nature observations and mood paintings. "Within the collections 'Flowers from Frösö Island,' there are direct musical correspondences," says Oda, "for instance, between 'In the Twilight' and 'March or the Dwarfs'.”
Grieg had a personal friendship with the Norwegian composer Agathe Backer Grøndahl (1847 – 1907). Both studied in Leipzig, Germany, both were strong proponents of the National Romantic movement, and the two worked together. Grøndahl performed Grieg’s Piano Concerto three times with Grieg conducting.
Grieg and Grøndahl shared inspiration from the Hungarian composer and piano virtuoso Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886.). Grieg met Liszt in Rome in 1870, where Liszt sightread the Norwegian's Piano Concerto, and Grøndahl had the opportunity to study with the Hungarian virtuoso in Weimar, Germany. Liszt's influence can be heard in works of the two Norwegians. "You might hear this parallel between the pieces ‘Tempest Clouds’ by Grieg and the Etude No. 1 from Op. 32 by Grøndahl," says Oda.
The French composer on the program, Claude Debussy (1862 – 1928), never acknowledged any direct influence from Grieg, but it is not difficult to make a connection between the two;. the similarities in their works are musically unmistakable. Oda explains: “''Bell - Ringing' from Op. 54' is perhaps one of Grieg’s most original pieces for the time it was written (in 1889) with its use of parallel fifths throughout the piece and other Impressionistic elements. For this reason, I have chosen to perform this piece in dialogue with Claude Debussy’s ‘La cathédrale engloutie’. Both pieces also share ethereal moods and dynamic structures."
The Hungarian composer Béla Bartók (1881 – 1945) never met Edvard Grieg, but he studied and got hold of all the folk music arrangements by the Norwegian composer, including Op. 72 and Op. 66.
In her concert, Oda highlights different musical parallels between the two composers, selecting Romanian folk dances and Hungarian folk songs by Bartók."
After Grieg’s death in 1907, Bartók corresponded frequently with Frederick Delius, a composer and friend of Grieg. They discussed the folk music of Norway, and Bartók sent Delius some of his instrumental folk music transcriptions of the Romanian people in Transylvania (part of Hungary until 1920). Bartók also spent five weeks in Norway during the summer of 1912. Although he did not get to hear any folk music, he was able to study the Hardanger fiddle.
Excitement and enthusiasm
With such an interesting and varied repertory, "Grieg in Dialogue" should prove to be a musical experience you will not want to miss. No matter how complex the music may be, one of Oda's gifts is her ability to connect with her audience. This new program promises not to disappoint.
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The project has been so inspiring to Oda that she envisions expanding it to other composers. While the compositions she chose for the new program were written during the latter part of Grieg’s life or after his lifetime., she sees that there are much earlier musical dialogues to explore. "I would perhaps have included works by Chopin and Liszt, maybe even combine Grieg’s Suite from Holberg's time, Op.40 with a suite by Händel," she says.
For more information about the upcoming concert and to reserve your seats, please visit the NWEGS website. While advance reservations are preferred, you may also simply show up at the door. If you cannot make it to the performance in Seattle on Sun., May 3, the same program is being presented at First Lutheran Church in Tacoma on Sat., May 2, at 1 PM. The concerts are free and open to the public, with donations suggested.
On that note, Oda's fans will be thrilled to learn that she already has plans to return to Seattle later this year in December for a performance of Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the Issaquah Philharmonic Orchestra. More details coming soon!
Enjoy the musical artistry of Oda Voltersvik:
