The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in Nordic music in 2014.
Events
January 16 January The Ice Music Festival opens in Geilo, Norway, lasting until 19 January. Swedish band In Mourning announce that drummer Christian Netzell has left the band. 22 January – The Bodø Jazz Open opens in Bodø, Norway, lasting until 26 January. 24 January The Nordlysfestivalen opens in Tromsø, Norway, running until 2 February. Anne-Lise Sollied Allemano (soprano) is awarded the Nordlysprisen at Nordlysfestivalen. 30 January – Kristiansund Opera Festival opens, running until 15 February.
February 5 February – The Polarjazz Festival opens in Longyearbyen, Norway, running until 9 February. 21 February – Per ‘Sodomizer’ Eriksson leaves Katatonia, to be temporarily replaced by Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief, Wisdom of Crowds) and Tomas Åkvik (Nale). 28 February – Swedish DJ Avicii's single Wake Me Up becomes the first song in history to surpass 200 million listeners on Spotify, making it the platform's most-streamed track at the time. The song will remain the most-played track on the platform for 506 days until overtaken in May 2015.
March 14 March – The Narvik Winter Festival opens in Norway (March 14 – 23).
April 2 April – In Mourning announce that Mattias Bender will be their new drummer. 3 April – The two-day Tape to Zero event starts at Victoria, National jazz scene in Oslo. 11 April – Vossajazz opens at Vossavangen, Norway, running until 13 April. 12 April Sigbjørn Apeland is awarded the Vossajazzprisen 2014. Mats Eilertsen performs the commissioned work Rubicon for Vossajazz 2014. 16 April – Inferno Metal Festival 2014 opens in Oslo (April 16–19). 17 April – Daniel Liljekvist leaves Katatonia, and is temporarily replaced by JP Asplund and Daniel Moilanen (ex-Engel) in succession. 23 April – SoddJazz opens in Inderøy Municipality, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway, running until 27 April.
May 10 May – The final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark, presented by Danish television presenter Lise Rønne, musician Nikolaj Koppel and actor Pilou Asbæk. The best-performing of the Scandinavian countries is Sweden, who finish in third place with "Undo" performed by Sanna Nielsen. 21 May – The Festspillene i Bergen opens in Norway (May 21 – June 4).
June 11 June – Bergenfest opens in Bergen, Norway, lasting until 15 June. 21 June – Festspillene i Nord-Norge opens in Harstad, Norway, lasting until 28 June.
July 2 July – The Kongsberg Jazzfestival opens at Kongsberg, Norway, running until 5 July. 5 July – Mathias Eick receives the Kongsberg Jazz Award or DNB.prisen 2014 at the Kongsberg Jazzfestival. 10 July – The Stavernfestivalen opens in Stavern, Norway, lasting until 12 July. 14 July – Moldejazz opens in Molde, Norway, with Sidsel Endresen as artist in residence (July 14–19). 15 July – Norwegian trio Monkey Plot win the JazzIntro 2014 award.
August 11 August – The Oslo Jazzfestival opens in Norway, running until 16 August. 12 August – Odd André Elveland receives the Ella-prisen 2014 at the Oslo Jazzfestival. 31 August – The Danish National Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Fabio Luisi as its next principal conductor on a 3-year contract from 2017.
September 1 September – The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Susanna Mälkki as its next chief conductor on a 3-year contract from autumn 2016. 4 September – The Punktfestivalen opens in Kristiansand, Norway, running until 6 September. 10 September – The Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival 2014 starts in Oslo, Norway, running until 20 September. 17 September – Nordic Music Days 2014 begins in Oslo, Norway, running until 20 September; it is hosted by the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival for the Norwegian Society of Composers.
October 17 October – The Ekkofestival opens in Bergen, Norway, running until 25 October. 20 October – The Asker Jazz Festival opens in Asker Municipality, Norway, running until 26 October. 23 October – The Insomnia Festival opens in Tromsø, Norway, running until 26 October.
November 12 November – The Vardø Blues Festival (Blues i Vintermørket) opens in Norway, running until 15 November. 13 November – The 9th Barents Jazz, Tromsø International Jazz Festival opens in Tromsø, Norway, running until 15 November.
December 11 December – The Nobel Peace Prize Concert is held at Telenor Arena in Oslo, Norway.
New works Kaija Saariaho – Maan Varjot
Albums released January DayArtistAlbumLabelNotes Ref. 6Jan Gunnar Hoff Fly North Losen Records 10Arve Henriksen Chron Rune Grammofon 17Tord Gustavsen Quartet Extended Circle ECM Records Produced by Manfred Eicher 20The Haunted Eye of the Storm EP 21Persuader The Fiction Maze Inner Wound Recordings EP 27Kampfar Djevelmakt Indie Recordings Hildegunn Øiseth Valencia Losen Records Sister Disguised Vultures Metal Blade 31Grand Magus Triumph and Power Nuclear Blast
February DayArtistAlbumLabelNotes Ref. 7Espen BergAcres Of BlueAtterklang -
March DayArtistAlbumLabelNotes Ref. 4Wolves Like UsBlack Soul ChoirProsthetic Records 7 Motorpsycho with Reine Fiske Behind The Sun Rune Grammofon 11Nocturnal BreedNapalm Nights Agonia Records First album for 7 years 21 Avicii True: Avicii By Avicii Rune Grammofon Remix28 Stian Westerhus & Pale Horses Maelstrom Rune Grammofon Paul Bley Play Blue (Oslo Concert) ECM Records Produced by Manfred Eicher
April DayArtistAlbumLabelNotes Ref.7 Baker Hansen Chet På Norsk / Ei Som Deg NorCD 11 Hedvig Mollestad Trio Enfant Terrible Rune Grammofon 25 Marius Neset Lion ACT Music
May DayArtistAlbumLabelNotes Ref.16 Jacob Young Forever Young ECM Records Produced by Manfred Eicher
June DayArtistAlbumLabelNotes Ref. 30Sanna Nielsen 7 Parlophone, Warner Music Group
July DayArtistAlbumLabelNotes Ref.1 Sonic Syndicate Sonic Syndicate 25 Crystal Eyes Killer Massacre Records
August DayArtistAlbumLabelNotes Ref.22The Nature of Connections Arve Henriksen Rune Grammofon
September DayArtistAlbumLabelNotes Ref.19 Karl Seglem Som Spor NorCD
October DayArtistAlbumLabelNotes Ref.3 Eple Trio Universal Cycle Shipwreckords 14 Scar Symmetry The Singularity (Phase I – Neohumanity) 17 Bjørn Alterhaug Quintet Innocent Play Ponca Jazz Records In the Country & Frida Ånnevik Skogenes Sang Grappa Music 24 Lumen Drones (Nils Økland, Per Steinar Lie, Ørjan Haaland) Lumen Drones ECM Liv Kristine Vervain Napalm Records Ketil Bjørnstad A Passion For John Donne ECM Records Terje Isungset & Arve Henriksen World Of Glass All Ice Records
November DayArtistAlbumLabelNotes Ref.1 Gisle Torvik and Hardanger Big Band Kryssande NorCD 6 Larz-Kristerz 40 mil från Stureplan Sony Music 10 Christer Fredriksen Trademark Losen Records 7 Sidsel Endresen & Stian Westerhus Bonita Rune Grammofon Albatrosh Night Owl Rune Grammofon 28 Kristoffer Eikrem & Kjetil Jerve Feeling // Emotion NorCD
December DayArtistAlbumLabelNotes Ref.5 Mors Principium Est Dawn of the 5th Era AFM Records 8 Taake Stridens hus Dark Essence Records All tracks by Hoest25 The Project Hate MCMXCIX There Is No Earth I Will Leave Unscorched
Deaths 24 July – Christian Falk (52), Swedish record producer and musician 15 August – Svein Nymo (61), Norwegian violinist and composer 19 August – Kåre Kolberg (78), Norwegian composer. 29 August – Jan Groth (68), Norwegian vocalist (cancer) 10 October – Olav Dale (55), Norwegian jazz saxophonist, composer and orchestra leader 11 October – Mats Rondin (54), Swedish cellist and composer (heart attack) 8 December – Knut Nystedt (99), Norwegian composer. 12 December – John Persen (73), Norwegian composer.
References