Meet the musicians: Sigurd Greve
interview
L
Live Klassisk3 min read|15. July 2024
Welcome to our interview relay with musicians from the classical music scene! Today we have the pleasure of presenting Sigurd Greve. He works as an oboist in Oslofilharmonien. Here he shares his thoughts on classical music and recommends upcoming concerts for both new and experienced concertgoers!
Name, instrument and profession?
Sigurd Greve, oboist, employed in Oslofilharmonien
What are you up to at the moment?
It is summer holiday from the orchestra job right now! But this year I have a summer where I practise a lot because of upcoming gigs.
Most overrated composer or piece?
Don't kill me, but I can think of at least 20 violin concertos I like better than Beethoven's… no shade though
And at the opposite end… which music should everyone really get to experience?
Benjamin Britten's operas.
Your most recent big concert experience - what made it so special?
June was full of highlights! First we were on tour with Oslofilharmonien where we played Brahms's Symphony No. 1 in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Philharmonie de Paris, among others. After that I was a guest with Trondheim Symfoniorkester, where we played a concert of classical greatest hits at a rock festival. After that I played completely solo at a performance at the home of an actor friend of mine, and my last appearance before the holiday was an ABBA song at a wedding with just me and a guitarist. All of these were great experiences in their own way!
Which living composer inspires you most, and why?
Right now I am super inspired by Kristine Tjøgersen. The album with her orchestral works is spectacular.
Can you remember a single event or experience that made you want to commit to becoming a musician?
No single event, but as someone who does not come from a family of musicians, I needed to hear from teachers that there was a future for me in the profession. Meeting other people my age who were motivated and talented was also very important. NUSO (the Norwegian youth symphony orchestra) was perhaps the most important meeting place for me, and it also led me into the Talent Development Programme at NMH.
Do you have any advice for «new listeners» who are curious about classical music and do not go to concerts very often?
My best advice is very simple - buy a ticket and show up. I think the biggest threshold for many who are genuinely interested is simply following through.
Any upcoming concerts you would like to recommend?
In all modesty, I would like to recommend everyone to come to the opening concert with Ungdomssymfonikerne at Festspillene i Elverum. I will be the soloist myself in Mozart's oboe concerto, and I hope many will make the trip! Otherwise I am very excited about Oslofilharmonien's contribution to this year's Ultima festival, namely «Fire in my mouth» by Julia Wolfe. The piece is an oratorio about the textile workers of New York at the start of the 19-hundreds and the great factory fire that claimed the lives of 146 women workers in 1911. Welcome to the concert on 19 September.
Minister for classical music in Norway for a day - what would you do?
Secured stable frameworks and incomes for the freelancers! And of course poured lots of money into the institutions - both the culture school and the orchestras.
Name one thing not many people know about you?
I have worked in symphony orchestras for almost ten years and studied music for seven years but I have never played a Bruckner symphony.
What do you like to do to relax when you are not playing or practising? Do you have any special hobbies?
Strength training, champagne, tropical birds, quizzes and karaoke
Finally - who would you like to challenge to take over the baton?
I would like to nominate my former classmate Victoria Randem, who has an impressive international career
Solistkoret Ung
,Det Norske Jentekor
,Grete Pedersen
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