The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in Nordic music in 1997.
Events 21 March – On the first day of Norway's Vossajazz festival, Frank Jakobsen wins the festival prize 3 May – At the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland, Sweden (14th) is the highest-placed of the Scandinavian countries. Denmark finishes 16th and Iceland 20th. Norway finishes in 24th place, earning no points. 28–29 June – David Bowie, Prodigy, Skunk Anansie, Nick Cave and Unni Wilhelmsen appear at the final Kalvøyafestivalen in Norway. 8 July – Finnish baritone Jorma Hynninen plays the title role in the première of Einojuhani Rautavaara's opera Aleksis Kivi, written at the request of Hynninen himself, at the Savonlinna Opera Festival. unknown date – Mikael Åkerfeldt and Peter Lindgren of the Swedish band Opeth dismiss bassist Johan De Farfalla without informing band member Anders Nordin, who decides to leave the band.
Classical works Magnus Lindberg Feria Fresco Jaakko Mäntyjärvi – Canticum Calamitatis Maritimae
Film and television scores Gunner Møller Pedersen – Barbara
Top hit singles Aqua – "Barbie Girl" (#1 Norway, Sweden, Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, UK) Björk "Bachelorette" (#6 Iceland) "Jóga" (#1 Iceland; #16 Finland) Blond – "Bara hon älskar mig" (#7 Sweden) Per Gessle – "Do You Wanna Be My Baby?" (#1 Sweden) Klamydia – "Perseeseen" (#1 Finland) Kølig Kaj – "Stemmen i mit liv" (#4 Denmark) Neljä baritonia – "Pop-musiikkia" (#1 Finland) Jari Sillanpää – "Bum Bum Bum" (#8 Finland) Tehosekoitin – "C'mon baby yeah" (#1 Finland) Tiggy – "Ring A Ling" (#1 Denmark)
Eurovision Song Contest Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997
Births 26 March – Glowie, Icelandic singer 11 August – Saba, Danish singer and musical theatre actress 24 August – Alan Walker, British-born Norwegian DJ and record producer 16 December – Zara Larsson, Swedish singer and songwriter
Deaths 7 February – Allan Edwall, Swedish actor, director, author, singer and composer (born 1924) 3 March – Finn Høffding, Danish composer (born 1899) 23 March – Arnljot Kjeldaas, Norwegian organist and composer (born 1916) 7 April – Egil Harder, Danish concert pianist and composer (born 1917) 16 June – Rolf Ericson, Swedish jazz trumpeter (born 1922) 22 June – Ted Gärdestad, Swedish singer, songwriter and actor (born 1956; suicide) 12 September – Stig Anderson, Swedish music manager and publisher (born 1931; heart attack) 29 September – Sven-Eric Johanson, Swedish composer (born 1919) 30 November – Alfred Næss, Norwegian playwright and songwriter (born 1927) 10 December — Karsten Andersen, Norwegian conductor (born 1920)
References