[På norsk] On December 7th, Grappa released the CD Bønn for drømmen (“Prayer for the Dream”), an album with Sigmund Groven’s music set to a series of poems by Hans Børli. The Børli centenary project consists of newly composed music, concerts, a poetry blog, theatre performances and other art events. The CD was released the day before what would have been Børli’s 100th birthday.
The CD features specially and newly composed music by Sigmund Groven, with musical performances by the composer, Aage Kvalbein (cello) and Ivar Anton Waagaard (piano). Børli’s lyrics are sung by Maren Myrvold and Marianne Bye Granheim.
About two years ago, the two singers Marianne Bye Granheim (mezzo-soprano) and Maren Myrvold (soprano) approached Sigmund Groven with selected poems by Hans Børli, which they hoped he would compose music for. The purpose was the poet’s year-long centenary festival. The music was eventually used for the first time at a Børli event in June 2017. Now the music album is ready and released by Grappa.
The musical team: Sigmund Groven with Maren Myrvold, Ivar Anton Waagaard, Aage Kvalbein and Marianne Bye Granheim.
Bønn før drømmen includes 12 songs with Børli’s lyrics set to Groven’s music. Both Børli’s earlier rhythmic poems that lends themselves well to songs, and later free form poetry in a more modern style is represented on the CD.
The day after the release you’ll hear the composer, the musicians and the singers perform Bønn for drømmen live at the National Library in Oslo, on the day that would have been Hans’s 100th birthday.
The album can be bought from grappa.no or streamed or downloaded.
About:
Hans Børli (1918 – 1989) was a Norwegian poet and writer, who also worked as a lumberjack all his life. Børli was born in Eidskog in Hedmark, Norway. He was raised on a small farm in a road-less area in the forests of Eidskog municipality. The experience of poverty and hardship would leave a deep imprint on his art. After having actively fought and getting captured in the Second World War, Børli took up writing and published his first collection, Tyrield, in 1945. His writings were a characteristic blend of traditional and free form, romance and realism, perversion, seriousness, social awareness and religious quest. He published 27 poetry collections and novels and won several awards.
Hans Børli.
From the CD recording sessions.
From the CD recording sessions.