Halvor Haug (1952-); a Norwegian Robert Simpson?

[Dundonnell]

(Cross-posted from 'Good Music Guide')

Norway is not nearly as effective in spreading the word about their composers as the other Northern and Baltic countries. This is partly at least because Norway does not appear to have record companies to match BIS in Sweden, Ondine in Finland or Dacapo in Denmark(to name some examples).

A contemporary Norwegian who has much impressed me and whose music is very much to my personal taste is Halvor Haug whose sixtieth birthday will be next year.

I called him a 'Norwegian Robert Simpson' in the thread title partly with tongue in cheek. He did however study under Simpson in London and the English composer was a great admirer of Haug's work. Haug is sometimes described as a 'neo-romantic' but this is by no means the whole picture. His music does have that distinctively Northern sound-a seriousness of purpose, often quite grim and menacing but also often sad, reflective and even despairing. He clearly loves his native country, its landscape, scenery and the natural world and reflects on and regrets what he perceives to be the damage man can do to the environment.

Haug has written five symphonies, of which there are cd versions of Nos. 1, 2 and 3.
Symphony No.1 dates from 1981-82 and earned very high praise from Robert Simpson. It would appeal very much to anyone who is tuned to Simpson's wavelength.
Symphony No.3 "The Inscrutable Life"(1991-93) incorporates the taped song of a nightingale towards the close of the work.
Symphony No.4(2001) and Symphony No.5(2002) are both one-movement works. They were apparently on a Warner/Chappell promotional cd but I have had no access to it

The other orchestral works of Haug which I have heard are however equally impressive-

the Sinfonietta(1983)..which is really just a short symphony and is certainly by no means a 'light' piece
the early Symphonic Picture of 1976 and the 'Poema Patetica'
the marvellously evocative "Silence for Strings" of 1977
"Song of the Pines' for String Orchestra(1987) which reflects the composer's sadness at the destruction of a pine forest
and 'Insignia', a Symphonic Vision for Chamber Orchestra(1993), influenced by Haug's visit to the Lofoten Islands

More about Halvor Haug-

http://www.ballade.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2002101119365043956511

No, Haug is not a Norwegian Rautavaara. His music is a good deal more 'modern' sounding but it is not inaccessible in the slightest. He is a modern composer still putting faith in symphonic orchestral music. I suppose you might compare him to Kalevi Aho in Finland....except that BIS have almost 'adopted' Aho.

It is such a pity that such a serious-minded and rewarding modern Scandinavian is not better known.

If you are looking for some new music to explore and you like Simpson or Aho give Haug a try

[eschiss1]

I like what I've heard by Haug, but then I like Rautavaara (middle and late, and sometimes early) and Simpson also...