Arne Nordheim

Norwegian composer Arne Nordheim (1931-2010). He made his international breakthrough at the beginning of the 1960s, and since then his works have been played by the world's leading orchestras and performers. He is regarded as the contemporary Norwegian composer who has achieved the greatest recognition beyond the borders of his own country. Nordheim's name is inextricably linked to the arrival of musical modernism in Norway. In his roles as composer, music critic and champion of composers' rights, he ensured that international trends gained a foothold during a period when Norwegian music was still influenced by national romanticism, as was the rest of the Norwegian art world in the wake of World War II. His 70th birthday on June 20, 2001 will be marked both nationally and internationally. Arne Nordheim grew up in a period when all forms of cultural expression in Norway were expected to reflect our national identity. World War II served to prolong this national-romantic viewpoint in Norwegian music history. Arne Nordheim rebelled against the time-honoured principle that national identity could only be evoked in Norwegian music by using elements of folk music.