A Little Lunch Music: Songs by Anna Lindeman & Anne-Marie Ørbeck
Free (Free)
Laura Loge, soprano
Steven Luksan, piano
Anna Lindeman – Four Songs
Anna Lindeman – Two Piano Pieces
Anne-Marie Ørbeck – Four Songs
You are invited to join us for a free livestream concert on our YouTube page! Featured repertoire will include Four Songs by Anna Lindeman, Two Piano Pieces by Anna Lindeman, and Four Songs by Anna-Marie Ørbeck.
The music presented on this program comes from the pen of two composers who occupied central roles in the musical life and culture of Norway:
Anna Lindeman (1859-1938) came from a musical family in Trondheim and showed great promise as a pianist and singer from an early age. Despite this talent, she received little formal education in music. She eventually settled in Oslo where she and her husband founded what would become the Oslo Music Conservatory. She taught piano at the conservatory and composed many pieces for her students to play. (She wanted her pupils to play beautiful, interesting music, and not just “boring” scales!) Her husband and children all played instruments or sang and her home was full of music, often her own compositions. Lindeman mostly composed songs and piano pieces, but late in life, she completed a string quartet which she never heard performed. This piece was forgotten and rescued from the archives, receiving its premiere nearly 50 years after the composer’s death!
Anna-Marie Ørbeck (1911-1996) began her musical career as a pianist, but her biggest claim to fame came in 1954 when her Symphony in D major was premiered – the first symphony composed by a Norwegian woman. She studied music throughout Europe, including with the famous music pedagogue Nadia Boulanger, and her music showcases the many competing influences that she encountered as a 20th-century composer. Her music shows signs of musical modernism, but they are always overshadowed by a thoroughly romantic and melodic approach to composition. Especially present in her songs is the influence or “echo” of Norwegian folk songs. Her music is a unique product of mid-century Norwegian culture that beautifully captures modernism’s drive to create striking new sounds in music without sacrificing beautiful melodies.
The broadcast will take place at 12pm Pacific.
Link to donate: https://www.musiccenternw.org/individual-giving