E I R I K M Y H R PEER GYNT: SELVETS KEISER musikken fra forestillingen
2013 was Svein Sturla Hungnes 25th and final year of directing Henrik Ibsen s Peer Gynt at Gålå. This milestone was enhanced even more by putting together an entirely new play that was radically different from the traditional rendition of Peer Gynt which the Gålå audience had returned to witness year after year. In Peer Gynt: Selvets Keiser, we meet Peer as an ageing former rock star, now a successful investor and businessman. He has returned to his hometown as the special guest of honour in a TV talk show, to chat about his life, career and his plans for the future. The play was developed and directed by Hungnes, and choreographed by André Danielsen. Continuing our collaboration from 2012 s Peer Gynt: Utfor Stupet, I returned to extend my musical take on Peer Gynt, composing both the songs and the new score parts for Selvets Keiser. The album is divided into two parts. The first part, Showbiz, is the glam-filled, sensationalist talk show bit a bizarre hit parade featuring the guests of the show which Peer participates in. This includes a majestic opening act in which the city of Peeropolis is being constructed. The second part, Visions, is where Peer starts to hallucinate, and we are taken on a dark trip into Peer s subconsious which finally leads to his redemption in Solveig s arms. There are traces of Grieg this time around, The Prophet (featuring Karoline Krüger as the seductive pop star Anitra) being the most extreme workover. A more subtle homage is the three-note churchbell motif at the start of Åses død. Peer Gynt: Selvets Keiser also re-used a couple of elements from Peer Gynt: Utfor Stupet, most notably the Peer and Solveig cue, which it felt right to include here even though it causes the two albums to overlap a bit. Certain similarities aside; The music of Selvets Keiser with its schizophrenic play with pop music genres and more dreamlike, ambient score is a very different beast than the more clearly focused, unified experience of Utfor Stupet. As a result, the two albums are doing very different things. Musically, think of Selvets Keiser as Utfor Stupet s spotty younger sibling with an untidy room. I hope you find something of interest on both albums, and that you find my contribution to Ibsen s timeless, ever-fascinating work a worthy one. It s a universe I would love to visit again. Eirik Myhr Oslo, 06.09.2014
DEL I: SHOWBIZ (PART I: SHOWBIZ) 01 Peeropolis 4:29 featuring Hans Marius Hoff Mittet 02 Gyntiana 2:00 featuring Anders Krohn 03 I locked the gate of Paradise 2:15 featuring Dennis Storhøi 04 The Prophet 2:44 featuring Karoline Krüger 05 Kåte, varme (Horny, hot) 2:44 featuring Charlotte Frogner 15 Bonus track: Talkshow muzak 5:01 DEL II: VISJONER (PART II: VISIONS) 06 Stemmer fra fortiden (Voices of the past) 4:03 07 Peer og Solveig (Peer and Solveig) 3:20 08 Dovregubben (The Mountain King) 2:04 09 Bøygen (The Bøyg) 2:19 10 Åses død (The death of Aase) 2:17 11 For en underlig sky (What a strange cloud) 2:03 featuring Hans Marius Hoff Mittet 12 Begriffenfeldt 1:45 13 Å være seg selv er seg selv å døde (To be oneself is oneself to slay) 4:04 14 Solveigs vuggevise (Solveig s cradle song) 4:33 featuring Ingeborg Gillebo Total duration: 45:51 Music composed by Eirik Myhr, except: Track 04 and 14 composed by Edvard Grieg, arranged by Eirik Myhr Vocal arrangement in track 04 by Karoline Krüger Words in track 11 and 14 by Henrik Ibsen Words in track 01, 02 and 05 by Svein Sturla Hungnes and Henrik Ibsen Words in track 03 by Henrik Ibsen, translation by Robert Farquharson Sharp 1936 Words in track 04 by Henrik Ibsen, translation by John Northam 1995
LEAD VOCALS Hans Marius Hoff Mittet (Young Peer Gynt) Dennis Storhøi (Middle-aged Peer Gynt) Karoline Krüger (Anitra) Ingeborg Gillebo (Solveig) Charlotte Frogner (The Woman in Green) Anders Krohn (Ben Dover) Eirik Myhr (Ben Dunder) BACKING VOCALS Ingunn Dalland Marianne Pentha Charlotte Bredesen PROGRAMMING, KEYBOARDS, DRUMS, BASS, GUITARS AND ADDITIONAL INSTRUMENTS Eirik Myhr VIOLIN Hilde Kjøll VIOLA Gunnhild O. Nordahl Hilde Nora Ringstad HORN Reinert Indrehus GUITAR SOLO, TRACK 01 Øyvind Vormeland Salte
Recorded, programmed and mixed by Eirik Myhr at Pling Kong Studios, Oslo, during spring and summer 2013. Backing vocals and strings recorded by Nils-Egil Langeland and Eirik Myhr at Calmeyer Studio, Oslo during summer 2013 (horn and some strings recorded during the Utfor Stupet sessions, summer 2012). Additional programming and vocals recorded in a cottage at Gålå, summer 2013. Album remixing, additional programming and more additonal vocals recorded at Pling Kong Studios in the autumn/winter of 2014-2015. Mastered by Morten Lund at Lunds Lyd. Cover and booklet design by Eirik Myhr. Cover photo by Johnny Vaet Nordskog. All other photos are from the actual Peer Gynt: Selvets Keiser performance at Gålå. Performance photos by Arne Hernæs and Bård Gundersen / Peer Gynt AS. Used with permission. Distributed by Musikkoperatørene AS. 2015 Pling Kong Recordings. All Rights Reserved. www.eirikmyhr.no www.plingkong.com
PEER GYNT: SELVETS KEISER MED DENNIS STORHØI KAROLINE KRÜGER HANS MARIUS HOFF MITTET BARTEK KAMINSKI BRITT LANGLIE CHARLOTTE FROGNER RUNE REKSTEN INGEBORG GILLEBO CHARLOTTE BRÆNNA ANTERO HEIN ANE EVJEN GJØVÅG MARCUS ANDREASSEN FABIAN SVEGAARD TAPIA BENJAMIN NORDIN GUSTAV ANDREAS KVALE UTFORMING OG REGI SVEIN STURLA HUNGNES MUSIKK EIRIK MYHR KOREOGRAFI ANDRÉ DANIELSEN PRODUKSJONSDESIGN OLA BRÅTEN KOSTYMER TRUDE BERGH MASKER INGFRID VASSET LYSANSVARLIG DANIEL KOLSTAD GIMLE REKVISITT/SCENE JAKOB PHYSANT INSPISIENT ERLEND STAMNES PRODUSENT PEER GYNT AS VED MARIT BRENDE