what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Felipa
Date: 24 Sep 14 - 03:56 PM

the ticket for 3 Oct will cost me ~ 3X more than 18 Sept would have -
but maybe I would have wanted to go to both gigs if I'd remembered the earlier one

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Felipa
Date: 24 Sep 14 - 03:45 PM

the link given by Crazy little woman lists some events at Riksscenen,
Trondheimsveien 2, Oslo - seems to be the place for folk performance in Oslo.

The funniest thing for me is that among the performers on Fri. 3 Oct are Mairearad Green & Anna Massie who were playing a venue in my own town on 18 Sept and I forgot all about the gig until I saw a poster a few days after the event.

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: GUEST,crazy little woman
Date: 24 Sep 14 - 10:31 AM

Try this:

http://www.folkemusikk.no/

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Felipa
Date: 23 Sep 14 - 06:51 PM

even in Ireland I have fairly often found my queries to be too obscure for the tourist office staff

and when I was in Coventry not so long ago, I found little of interest via internet search but lots of interesting stuff (not necessarily music in this example) on the notice boards of the public library

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Felipa
Date: 23 Sep 14 - 06:47 PM

In Ireland, yes Leeneia (in which countries have you got this info?)
but in a great many countries I think likely to be useless as traditional music is not so mainstream

Which reminds me, when I was working in a school in western Poland and asking everyone where I could find a folk dance class. The one I was directed, a 45 min train journey away in Gydnia, turned out to be training students in a highly choreographed performance; it was not social dancing.

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 23 Sep 14 - 10:25 AM

Hello, Felipa. When I have travelled, I found these places to be good sources for info on traditional music:

the front desk of a hotel
the tourist office
youth hostel

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Sep 14 - 01:00 PM

Guest you should have quoted from the start. Quote: "There are too many people who use Mudcat who's manners could do with a bit of honing."

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Sep 14 - 12:24 PM

quote: Your initial question was unlikely to elicit many positive responses (are there are Norwegian Mudcatters?) and people were suggesting what they considered interesting alternatives to a perceived lack of music.

That's Mudcat in a nutshell: people who have no helpful information or interest in your question but who will still post to blather on about whatever topic your question makes them think of.

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Mr Red
Date: 22 Sep 14 - 06:45 AM

http://www.spellmenn.no/

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Felipa
Date: 21 Sep 14 - 07:25 AM

I found this but the spelmanslag calendar has events for Sept and November, not Oct -- may be worthwhile enquiring
http://www.spellmenn.no/ (or may be of interest to other mudcatters travelling at another time)

I will of course be doing other things, trip wasnt planned as a music excursion but that could be icing on the cake

I remember at least two Mudcatters of the past who lived in Norway, one of them lived near Voss and studied in Ireland- she was a singer/student of folksong

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 21 Sep 14 - 07:11 AM

Felipa, I think Betsy was suggesting that your reply was bordering on the rude side. There are too many people who use Mudcat who's manners could do with a bit of honing. Your initial question was unlikely to elicit many positive responses (are there are Norwegian Mudcatters?) and people were suggesting what they considered interesting alternatives to a perceived lack of music.

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Felipa
Date: 21 Sep 14 - 07:10 AM

NO, Wotcha, will not be going to Bergen or Stavanger this trip - only time and funds to stay fairly close to Oslo. So that is why I specified in and near Oslo in the thread title. I was in the Irishman pub about 10 years ago but didnt find music on that occasion, I think there was a football match on. and my friend in Stavanger still lives there so hope to visit next trip (She will be away in Sweden when I'm in Oslo area).
In Bergen on the first of my 3 visits to Norway, must have been about 25 years ago, I attended a Norwegian night for tourists - a light meal and a presentation of dancing and music, mostly hardangerfele. I would think something like that would be presented in Oslo but I havent heard of it yet. I remember Soldier's Joy tune was presented as a "typical Norwegian reel" and I was thinking reels weren't typical of Norwegian music The woman next to me was from Orkney and she said "that's an Orcadian tune!", apparently as popular there as it is in Scotland, Ireland, America. The tune has the same title in Ireland and America but I dont know what they call it in Norway.

The problem I think with finding traditional music in Norway outside of the festival season is my asking "what's on?" and asking about "events". People are playing but not publicly. Betsy mentioned music in Voss (again not the area I will be in); I was at an event, a kappeleikin competition, but I learned that there was a local spelmanslag club where local traditional players met for lessons and group practice.

On my first trip I went as far as Lofoten, and I went there after having seen a photo in a Norwegian coffee table book of local Lofoten islanders playing standard 4-string fiddle. People I asked in Lofoten claimed there were no musicians in the area; they said the fiddlers had belonged to a single family which was no longer there - some men had died in fishing accidents.

But what about Oslo??? besides Scandi music, what about music from some of the immigrant communities in the city?

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Wotcha
Date: 20 Sep 14 - 11:31 PM

Catch a plane to Stavanger and head to the Iriishman Pub … great local band, The Harbour Band, who cover everything from traditional folk to chanteys to bluegrass and country. If you can get to Bergen go south to Stord and check out the Storm Weather Shanty Chor who make acapella chanteys sound like heavy metal riffs … they are a Norge version of Great Big Sea. Bring rain gear.

Ha da bra,

med venlig hilsen,

wotcha

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Felipa
Date: 20 Sep 14 - 03:15 PM

Guest Betsy, I did not use the word "general". My subject heading was general, but it was in the folk area of the mudcat page not BS and my message did specify music events "I'll be in the Oslo area for the first week of Oct so any advice re folk, traditional,world music events is welcome - especially Scandinavian music". I realise people are trying to be helpful - and any reply at all keeps my query on the front page - but I did specify music. And there are other instruments which feature in Norwegian music beside Hardangerfele, including standard fiddle. I did say I would be interested in other folk/traditional music as well. And by the way, even in the west it is not so easy to find traditonal music. I heard lots of music and did some dancing in Voss, like yourself years ago, but I was attending a landskappeleiken.

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: ranger1
Date: 19 Sep 14 - 07:42 PM

Felipa, I will check with my friends that area and PM you if they have any suggestions. One of them used to play fiddle for a gammaldans band.

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: GUEST,Guest Betsy
Date: 19 Sep 14 - 07:27 PM

Felipa.
Please refer to your Original post, which was "general"
We have all tried to assist , it wasn't an easy question / request and believe me, Hardanger fiddlers and like dom't roam the streets of Oslo . You need to be on the west side of Norway - Bergen and inland (at least) and further North.
I had the pleasure of experiencing the Hardanger fiddlers in the town of Voss many years ago - whether they still play - God ony hopes so .

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Felipa
Date: 19 Sep 14 - 06:47 PM

hey, I wasnt asking about museums, but about music
I've been in Norway a few times in my life, though mostly in the west - was only once in Oslo many years ago.I can't agree with Jack Campin re dreariness; I found much of interest. And I certainly want ot go to Bygdøy museums again. But I havent found Norwegian traditional music easy to find; I had to go to festivals, which would mostly be in summertime. Well, I may as well ask David H, though if it were me I wouldnt be happy about someone posting my email addy on the web - but thanks for that anyway!

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: GUEST,Andymac
Date: 19 Sep 14 - 07:21 AM

The Dubliners pub on Rådhusgata is the best and probably only place in Oslo for folk music. There's session on Saturday afternoon from 4pm in the front bar followed by a pub band from about 10pm. on Tuesday nights there is a session in the back room from 8:30pm. Saturdays is more tune based and Tuesday a bit quieter and more song based but both "genres" are welcome to both.

If you want to go to a few museums then there is an Oslo pass which will give you access to all the museums and free transport on buses, Metro, trams and ferries. It's not cheap but it's worth it. I would certainly recommend the Fram and maritime museums and the museum of Norwegian life; all of which are on Bygdøy and can be reached by a short ferry hop.
It's a fun city, I hope you enjoy your visit!

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Mr Red
Date: 18 Sep 14 - 04:06 PM

Noewegian website on folk

Another

Found them years ago, haven't checked them lately. But they don't look too helpful for October (2014).

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 18 Sep 14 - 09:09 AM

The Maritime Museum is good but if you only have a limited time I would rather recommend the Viking Ship Museum. The Oseberg ship and the Gokstad ship are simply stunning.

It can be found at Huk Aveny 35. Open Mon-Sat 9 till 6 Sun 10 till 4

It costs about 60 Krone (about £6) entrance and is worth every ore in my mind

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 18 Sep 14 - 08:13 AM

I don't know Finnish so I couldn't identify it. It wasn't in the Kalevala metre, though - I suspect it was modern.

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 18 Sep 14 - 07:35 AM

I've never been to Oslo, but I wouldn't have thought it too difficult to run down some Norwegian fiddle music. If you can, it's bleep bleepin' good stuff.

Jack. The inexorable poem in Finnish. Was it from the Kalevala by any chance?

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Betsy
Date: 18 Sep 14 - 07:11 AM

Bit late maybe

The Irish Pub used to have a session on Tuesday evening at the back of the Pub and occasionally on Saturday and Sunday afternoons if itinerant musicians popped in.
If you arrive in July/August time the City is deserted . An exaggeration on my part of course - but the City goes on holiday en masse to Southern Europe.
One fine singer guitarist at the Tuesday seesion Was David Harrison - perhaps you can Email him to see if thereis anything happening .......

dharrison13@hotmail com

Good luck.

Subject: RE: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 17 Sep 14 - 05:56 PM

I spent a week in Oslo once. It was pissing with rain the whole time. I tried to find something interesting on the hotel TV one night and got the choice of a news bulletin about a bus crash that had killed a class of schoolchildren, a documentary about serial killers or a very long poem in Finnish declaimed in a doomy bass while the camera tracked through a graveyard.

The fun-loving National Theatre was showing Ibsen's "Ghosts".

I went to the Maritime Museum to learn about Arctic exploration disasters and Nansen on the Fram living on a diet of dog meat and Horlicks.

Subject: what's on in and nearish Oslo Norway?
From: Felipa
Date: 17 Sep 14 - 05:12 PM

I'll be in the Oslo area for the first week of Oct so any advice re folk, traditional,world music events is welcome - especially Scandinavian music