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Eva KnardahlNorwegian pianist
Date of Birth: 10.05.1927
Country:  Norway |
Content:
- Biography of Eva Knardahl
- Education and Unique Style
- Success in the United States
- Popularity and Recognition in Norway
- Recognition and Recordings
Biography of Eva Knardahl
Child Prodigy and Debut PerformanceEva Knardahl is a Norwegian pianist who gained equal acclaim as a gifted child and as an adult performer. Her debut with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra took place when she was only 12 years old. During the concert, she performed three compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, Joseph Haydn, and Carl Maria von Weber. This performance received rave reviews from critics.
Education and Unique Style
Eva studied under Mary Barrat Due at the Barrat Due Institute of Music. Mary Barrat Due herself had received musical education in Italy. Idar Karevold, a music professor from Oslo, described Eva Knardahl's Italian style of performance as "unique to Norway."
Success in the United States
When Eva turned 19, she emigrated to the United States, where she achieved a remarkable career with the Minnesota Orchestra. The first few years were challenging for her in a new country and with a new ensemble, as she worked under the direction of American-Hungarian conductor Antal Dorati, who, according to Knardahl, had a "terrible character." However, the atmosphere improved when Stanislaw Skrowaczewski took over as conductor. Eva continued to collaborate with the Minnesota Orchestra for 15 years until she returned to Norway in 1967.
Popularity and Recognition in Norway
Upon her return, Eva Knardahl became a highly popular figure in the Norwegian music scene. She was proclaimed the first professor of chamber music at the Norwegian Academy of Music and served as a prominent soloist with the Norwegian Symphony Orchestra. In 1968, she received the Norwegian Music Critics' Award and twice won the national Norwegian music prize.
Recognition and Recordings
In 1982, Eva Knardahl was awarded the Oslo City Prize, which is given annually since 1978 to the top five musicians and artists in Norway. She gained great renown for her performances of Edward Grieg's piano concertos. Between 1978 and 1980, she recorded the complete works of Grieg for piano, which were later released by BIS Records in 2006 on twelve compact discs. Her recordings of Brahms' concertos, made in collaboration with the Norwegian record company SIMAX, also enjoyed significant success.
