Classical/Review Ståle Kleiberg, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Peter Szilvay - Kleiberg: Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament – Orchestral Works

Ståle Kleiberg is an acclaimed Norwegian composer known for his distinctive and warmly expressive musical language. Born in 1958, Kleiberg has built an international reputation through large-scale orchestral, choral and chamber works that explore themes of identity, memory, history and human experience. His acclaimed compositions include Requiem – for the Victims of Nazi Persecution and David and Bathsheba. Kleiberg is Professor Emeritus of Music at NTNU in Trondheim and has maintained a long-standing artistic relationship with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra.

Ståle Kleiberg’s “Kleiberg: Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament – Orchestral Works” is an expansive and emotionally resonant collection that demonstrates the Norwegian composer’s ability to transform history, memory, and human experience into compelling orchestral storytelling. Performed by the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra under conductor Peter Szilvay, the album brings together works united by a strong sense of emotional and historical purpose.

At its centre is Symphony No. 3, a work inspired by Norwegian migration to North America. Rather than treating migration simply as a historical event, Kleiberg explores the emotional dimensions behind such a journey: longing for something beyond the familiar, questions of identity, and the complicated search for belonging. The orchestral setting gives these ideas considerable scope, allowing personal experiences to be expressed through a broader musical landscape.

The album also includes “Lamento – Cissi Klein in memoriam” and “The Town and its People,” adding further dimensions to Kleiberg’s exploration of memory and human experience. Together, the works create a portrait of a composer deeply interested in the relationship between individual stories and larger historical or communal narratives.

The Trondheim Symphony Orchestra brings the necessary breadth to this material, while Peter Szilvay’s conducting provides a clear framework for Kleiberg’s ambitious orchestral writing. The performances allow the emotional character of the compositions to remain central without overshadowing their conceptual depth.

“Kleiberg: Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament – Orchestral Works” ultimately feels like an album concerned with movement—across oceans, through memories, and between different states of belonging. Kleiberg uses the orchestra not merely as a vehicle for grand sound, but as a means of exploring the emotions that accompany displacement, remembrance, and the search for a place to call home. The result is thoughtful, powerful, and deeply human.