Sigurd Berge: Early Electronic Works CD

Prisma Records 708
Releasedate 04.10.2010
Distributed exclusively by Musikkoperatørene

Prisma Records is proud to present the first release dedicated to the music by the late Norwegian experimental composer and electronic music pioneer, Sigurd Berge (1929-2002). This release shows some of Berge`s earliest experiments with tape-machines and early synthesizers and is taken from three reels found in the Henie Onstad Art Centre music archives in 2009. The reason why these tapes are located here are probably because Berge worked for several years at the Norwegian Studio for Electronic Music, located at the art centre. Berge also was a part of the electronic music concert-series Elektrofoni which took part at the centre from 1968 until 1983.

On the first tape we found the unreleased pieces Preludium, Ritual & Sørgemusikk and the previously released pieces Erupsjon and Eg beisla min støvel. On a different tape we found the musique concrète piece Delta, which Berge also used in a collaboration with the avant-garde jazz trio Svein Finnerud in 1970.

The second part of this release is dedicated to one of Norway`s first multimedia art installations entitled BLIKK. The work was commissioned for the Henie Onstad Art Centre in 1970 and created by the artists Irma Salo Jæger, Jan Erik Vold and Sigurd Berge. The installation consisted of Jæger`s kinetic sculptures, Vold`s abstract poetry and Berge`s electronic music, all blended together with one of Norway`s first computer generated laser-light shows. The multimedia piece was so complicated to produce that the engineeers Halvor Heier, Birger Komedal & Harald Schiøtz was hired for technical assistance. The pioneering work BLIKK was exhibited at the Henie Onstad Art Centre between April-May 1970.

Prisma Records is proud to one of Norway`s most famous and acclaimed experimental composers and electronic music pioneers for the first time on a complete CD release.