Berit Opheim, one of our foremost and most beloved folk singers, is coming to Førde with Draumkvedet. She has three of her best musical friends with her: Sigbjørn Apeland, Nils Økland and Karl Seglem.
The Dream Song, our most famous medieval ballad, is a true January classic and a tradition for many music lovers. Whether you are already looking forward to January and the Dream Song (!), or you have not yet heard it performed, you have a golden chance in Førde church on Wednesday, January 14. Then our leading folk singer, Berit Opheim, will come to Førde with this masterpiece. She has worked on the Dream Song throughout her artistic career and performed it countless times. Like no one else, she conveys the story of Olav Åsteson who falls asleep on Christmas Eve and wakes up on the 13th day of Christmas.
IN Førde church, Berit Opheim interprets the great vision poem together with three of her best musician friends, Karl Seglem, Nils Økland and Sigbjørn Apeland, who are all known for seeking new expressions and challenging the established. The Dream Poem in January with Berit Opheim and these three fantastic musicians behind her is an experience to take with you whether you are encountering the ballad about Olav Åsteson for the first time or have it as an annual event!
The starting point for the concert is the CD release Opheim/Seglem made in 2009, in which the famous medieval ballad stands out as a unique musical vision poem.
“The warmth and sonority of her voice and her keen sensitivity to the ballad's rich atmosphere help to draw you into the deep seriousness of the story. Her vocal control is total. She is the foremost in her art form, and once again shows her mastery” (Aftenposten (N) about the CD release)
Berit Opheim , vocals
Karl Seglem , gong, electronics
Nils Økland , Hardanger fiddle
Sigbjørn Apeland , tree organ
About the Dream Song
We encounter the dreams and visions of Olav Åsteson. He fell asleep on Christmas Eve and woke up on the 13th day of Christmas. In his dreams, he wandered through the realm of the dead and saw sinners receive their punishment. However, the dream poem is not just about heaven and hell. Olav Åsteson's journey is about becoming a whole person, and the strong, shocking and ugly dreams contain most of what a small human life can dream about and long for.
The Dream Ballad was written down by Jørgen Moe and MB Landstad in the mid-19th century and holds a special place in Norwegian and Nordic folk poetry. This visionary poem fascinates, challenges and provokes, and is the most central and important medieval ballad we know of.