Anne-Marie Ørbeck (1 April 1911 – 5 June 1996) was a Norwegian pianist and composer.
Biography Anne-Marie Ørbeck was born in Oslo on 1 April 1911, to Anton Ørbeck (1866–1927) and Inga Louise Larsen (1874–1948). Her brother Gunnar Ørbeck was a violinist. She studied piano in Oslo and in Berlin with Sandra Drouker. She continued her studies in music and composition under teachers including Gustav Fredrik Lange, Mark Lothar, Paul Höffer and Darius Milhaud. She made her debut as a pianist in Oslo in 1933 with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1939 Ørbeck married engineer Helge Smitt (1906–1985). Her career as a musician and composer was interrupted by World War II, but her song cycle "Vonir i blømetid" (Hope at Blossom-Time) won a prize in 1942 from the Norwegian Society of Composers. In the 1950s, she studied composition again with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, and later with Hanns Jelinek in Vienna. Her Symphony in D Major was premiered in Bergen in 1954, making her the first female Norwegian symphonic composer. She died in Bergen in 1996.
Works Ørbeck composed works for orchestra, chamber ensemble and solo instrument, but specialized in vocal works, including songs, choral works and psalm compositions. Selected works include:
Orchestral works: Concertino for Piano and Orchestra, 1938 Melody, Miniature Suite, 1940 Symphony in D major, 1944 Rune March, 1946 Pastorale and Allegro for Flute and Strings, 1959
Piano and chamber works: Concert Event of R. Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier from Rollers for piano, 1935 Cadenzas for piano concertos by Haydn and Mozart, 1967 Sonatina, 1967 Valse piccante, 1971 Marcia indomabile, 1973 Violin and Piano: Norwegian springar, 1928 Melody, 1931
Songs: Vonir in blømetid, 7 songs to poems by HH Holmes, 1942 So they rowed fjordan(text: A. Vaa), 1954 Wild-Guri (text: T. Jonsson), 1955 The rock, 1955 A hustavle (text: A. Overland), 1957 Snow (text: A. Overland), 1959 Star Song (text: I. Krokann), 1964 Choir: A pine (text: HH Holmes), 1946 Ovspel (text: HH Holmes), 1952 Our country (text: A. Overland), 1954 Summer Night (text: A. Overland), 1956 Psalm about the art (text: L. Kvalstad), 1964
Discography Ørbeck's compositions have been recorded and issued on CD, including:
The Norwegian Flute, BIS Kittelsen, G.: Festduett/Hegdal, M.: Aleatoric Construction for Piano/VEA, K.: Trio for Flute, Alto Saxophone and Piano (BIT 20 Ensemble), Aurora Orbeck, A: Symphony/Songs (Hirsti, Royal Philharmonic, Dreier), AuroraAlbum listing
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