RUNE ALVER - Spill Og Dans (2013)

Johannes Midelfart Rivertz (1902-1988) is a very special composer in the history of Norwegian classical music. His style is markedly personal, but like many of his colleagues of the same generation, his music was, in part, destined for obscurity. Thanks to pianist Rune Alver’s interest and efforts, however, Rivertz’s original piano compositions are once again beginning to receive attention. The pieces are often found in his concert programmes, and here for the first time ever we have a complete recording of the composer’s collected piano works.

Rune Alver made his debut as pianist at the age of twenty. He was born in Bergen and educated at Bergen Music Conservatory and the Norwegian Academy of Music, where he received his diploma in 1986. Alver is active as soloist and chamber musician and maintains a rigorous concert schedule, with recent performances in Germany, France, Russia, China, and South Africa.

Rune Alver speaking about Johannes M. Rivertz's music: It is a joy to immerse oneself in the piano music of Johannes M. Rivertz, a discerning composer with high standards of excellence. His works have an inner logical structure and, at the same time, a refreshing spontaneity, organically fusing the universal with the personal. This somewhat unique synthesis occasionally reminds me of the Danish composer, Carl Nielsen. I am delighted to be able to help introduce the music of Johannes M. Rivertz to a wider audience.