Alfred Janson

Alfred Janson (Oslo, 10 March 1937) is one of the most singular figures in Norwegian music of the second half of the twentieth century. A pianist, accordionist and composer, he first trained in piano with his mother and later studied counterpoint and harmony with Fongaard and Finn Mortensen. When he made his debut as a pianist in 1962, he was already a recognised musician in the field of jazz.

His first works belonged to the international avant-garde, with particular attention to sound surfaces. With Kanon (1965) he incorporated elements of jazz into a modernist language, and in Tema (1966) and above all in Nocturne, the following year, he introduced neo-Romantic traits that opened up a new and more accessible style in Norway. His interest in political themes is reflected in satirical works such as the vocal piece Valse triste (1970) and the opera Et fjelleventyr ('A Mountain Fairy Tale', 1972). In Forspill ('Prelude', 1975), for violin and orchestra, he developed a complex musical form that revisits conventional figurations with a modern treatment.

Janson is regarded as the first Norwegian composer to combine effectively and thoughtfully modernism, the avant-garde, Romanticism, jazz and folk music. His output, far from belonging to defined schools, unites formal rigour and expressionist traits with a strong lyrical tone.