Edvard Greig dominates the Norwegian art song milieu, and rightly so. However, despite progress within gender equality in classical music and specifically composition, visionaries and pioneers of 19th and 20th century Norwegian culture have remained largely unknown, overlooked, and thus under-represented. These unsung heroines helped develop distinctively Norwegian Art Song alongside Grieg and brought Norwegian musical traditions to Europe and the United States in their travels and as immigrants; they fought tirelessly to preserve their culture and identity during a time when female composers across the western world were discouraged to pursue this career. Both gender discrimination and circumstances of history have relegated their works to be forgotten, neglected, unpublished, and either never or rarely performed both in and outside of Norway.
Der Skreg en Fugl/A Bird Cried Out is a world premiere collection of Norwegian Art Songs by female composers Hanna Marie Hansen, Mon Schjederup, Anne-Marie Ørbeck, Inga Lærum-Liebich, Inger Bang Lund, Magda Bugge, Pauline Hall, Anna Lindeman, Hilda Neupert, and Theodora Cormontan. This collection also features a premiere recording of Agathe Backer Grøndahl’s Op. 26, Six Songs, as a tribute to Norway’s best-known female composer. Alongside soprano Laura Loge, the project's goal is to bring to light the music and contributions of these underrepresented composers to the development of Norwegian Romanticism, Norwegian culture worldwide, and their personal struggles as female composers to achieve their dreams.
