This concert was yet another cultural event in Serbia and Montenegro that marked the centennial anniversary of the peaceful dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway.
08/04/2005 :: The very successful co-operation between the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra continued this year with a performance of the renowned Norwegian harmonica player Sigmund Groven in the hall of the Belgrade Philharmonics in early April 2005.
For more information about the concert, please contact the Belgrade Philharmonics at 011/ 32 82 977.
The concert was supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade.
Please find below the biography of Mr. Groven:
SIGMUND GROVEN BIOGRAPHY
”In the right hands the lowly mouth-organ can be an instrument of great beauty and sophistication. Sigmund Groven, like Tommy Reilly and Larry Adler before him, makes full use of the wide range and tonal expressions that the harmonica is capable of. His musicianship is superb, and he now unquestionably reigns supreme as one of the finest exponents of the harmonica in the world.”
(Sir George Martin, producer of ”The Beatles”)
For more than three decades Sigmund Groven has had an international career as soloist, composer and recording artist.
He was born in Heddal, Telemark, Norway, into a musical family; his uncle, Eivind Groven, was a composer and musicologist. Sigmund’s interest in the harmonica was aroused at the age of nine upon hearing a record of the legendary harmonica pioneer, the late Tommy Reilly, who became his source of inspiration as a musician, his mentor, and close associate. They appeared together in concert and on radio and TV in Europe and North America, and in 1976 they recorded a duo album of original works written for them by such composers as Robert Farnon, Gordon Jacob, James Moody, and Vilem Tausky.
Sigmund plays a custom-made silver concert harmonica and his repertoire ranges from popular and folk music to his own compositions, from Bach to contemporary music.
The latest additions to his discography of more than 20 albums are two recordings with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra: an album featuring works for harmonica and orchestra by Sir George Martin, as well as his arrangements of Lennon/McCartney songs and other shorter pieces will be followed by a CD of serious original works by Milhaud,Villa-Lobos and Scandinavian contemporary composers.
Sigmund’s career in Europe has included performances with such orchestras as the Academy of St.Martin-in-the-Fields, Rotterdam Philharmonic, the radio symphony orchestras of Berlin, Munich, Brussels, Stockholm, Oslo, Hilversum, and BBC London, concerts for EXPO Sevilla, UNESCO Paris, ”Posidonia” in Athens, the Edvard Grieg Sesquicentennial Celebrations, as well as appearances at the Dartington Summer Music, the Bergen International Festival and other prestigious festivals. In 2002 he became the first harmonica player to appear as soloist with the the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg, giving the world premiere of Siegfried Steinkogler’s Harmonica Concerto. On many occasions he has given Royal Command Performances for the Kings and Queens of Norway and Sweden, and he is regularly featured as star performer on cruise ships around the world.
In 1990 Sigmund made musical history, becoming one of the few harmonica players ever to be featured at Carnegie Hall with a classical recital of his own. This marked the turning point in his American career, and was followed by concerts at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC as well as major concert halls, orchestras and festivals across Canada and the US (Toronto, Guelph, Québèc, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Anchorage, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Houston, and Dallas, where he was made honorary citizen of Texas.)
His career in Asia has included concerts and TV appearances in Japan in 1995 and ’99 (incl. Casals Hall, Tokyo and Kyoto Concert Hall), Hong Kong 1998 (City Hall Concert Hall) and Seoul, Korea 2001, where his albums entered the pop charts. In August 2004 he returned to Hong Kong for a concert with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong and master-classes at the Asia-Pacific Harmonica Festival.
Plans for 2005 include a performance at the Budapest Spring Festival.
Composers who have dedicated works to Sigmund Groven include Oddvar S.Kvam, Johan Kvandal, James Moody, Terje Rypdal, Øistein Sommerfeldt, Siegfried Steinkogler, John Surman, Lars Tilling, and Fried Walter. In preparation is a new Concerto by Henning Sommerro.
As a composer in his own right Sigmund Groven received a commission for the Sesquicentennial of Norwegian emigration to America (”Blow, Silver Wind” with words by Erik Bye), and a commission from the Norsemen’s Federation to commemmorate Leiv Eiriksson’s discovery of America (”Vinland Suite”). Both works have been performed widely, incl. Mormon Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, and Carnegie Hall. His output totals more than 300 works, including music for film, radio, and TV, and a number of songs and instrumental works. Twice he received the award ”Composition of the Year” from the Norwegian Association of Composers of which he was also appointed Honorary member. In 1997 he was elected President of TONO, the Norwegian Performing Rights Society, and in 2004 he was presented with an award from the City of Oslo.
”He left the audience stunned” (Östgöta Correspondent, Sweden)
”Ein Gentleman der Mundharmonika” (SMI-Bulletin, Basel, Switzerland)
”His Bach solos were the models of elegance” (Anchorage Daily News, Alaska)
”Under his spell the harmonica seems to reverberate and glow
with every emotion of the human heart” (San Francisco Chronicle)
”A most sensitive and thrilling performance” (Harmonica Review, Tokyo)
”His poetic performance was deeply moving” (Noordhollands Dagblad, Den Helder, Netherlands)
”He held the audience spellbound – his playing touches the heart. A brilliant communicator with strong musical authority” (Aftenposten, Oslo, Norway)
”A musician with charisma, deep passion and a magical sound” (Ming Pao, Hong Kong)
”His pure,smooth,crystal-clear tone is of an ethereal beauty. He is a musician of substance and stature, nonpareil. His concert was the most profound and stunning revelation of my musical life” (Woodstock Bulletin,Sydney,Australia)
”The Norwegian virtuoso convinced us with a remarkable richness of expression, superb glissandi and ravishing solos” (Salzburger Volkszeitung, Austria)
”A phenomenal performer on an unusual instrument” (Gordon Wright, conductor)
For more information about Sigmund Groven, please visit his web site.