Norwegian composer Johan Kvandal absorbed the influences of mountain landscape, frequent travel and that of his father, the composer David Monrad Johansen, to develop what...

Norwegian composer Johan Kvandal absorbed the influences of mountain landscape, frequent travel and that of his father, the composer David Monrad Johansen, to develop what he himself called his “modern tonality”. He frequently fused elements of folk music with classical form to produce enduringly attractive scores in many guises, notably symphonic literature, songs and piano music, though he also pursued experimental forms in the String Quartet No.2 Johan Kvandal’s piano scores enshrine an ultra-fresh vitality that reflects the best of twentieth-century Norwegian music. He took inspiration from folk music but always in its purest form and never to provide it with an “art music alibi”. Synthesising national and international traditions ensured his innovative, very personal and approachable musical language.