For Kyrre Gørvell-Dahl, the spectacular performance of the new album KYGO from the tip of Trolltunga in the Hardangerfjord was a great tribute to Norwegian nature. “A dream come true”, says Kygo.
“There is no other place that provides a more beautiful setting for my music than what we have here,” says Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll (aka Kygo) in an interview with Fjord Norway and Visit Hardangerfjord after Friday’s album launch, which he describes as a grand tribute to the Norwegian fjord landscape.
“KYGO” is Gørvell-Dahll´s fifth album, and it was launched in a spectacular way with a YouTube-streamed concert at the iconic Trolltunga (The Troll´s Tongue) – one of Norway’s foremost natural attractions. Before the concert, a grand piano was flown up by helicopter, and in addition to a complete pyro show and film crew, he was accompanied by strings from the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and several vocalists who are performing on his new album.
“A Dream Come True”
Kygo describes his experience at Trolltunga as one of the pinnacle moments of his career. After years of hard work, he finally fulfilled a long-held dream.
“My photographer Johannes Lovund and I have long dreamed of playing at Trolltunga, and it has taken several years to plan and obtain the necessary permits to carry out the project. There are many considerations to take, but we have received good help along the way, and even the weather played along with us on this fantastic summer evening in the Hardangerfjord,” says Gørvell-Dahll.
The hike to the spectacular rock formation is today one of Norway’s most popular hikes and is a bucket-list experience for many Norwegians and foreigners.
“We tried to keep the project secret because we knew it could be difficult to carry out if there were a lot of people and crowds. The hikers who passed by took it with a positive attitude, and several tourists stayed for hours to watch the recording. There was more than enough space for everyone,” says Gørvell-Dahl.
Inspired by Nature
Kygo is not alone in drawing inspiration from Norwegian nature in his productions. Some of Norway’s foremost composers and musicians through the ages, Edvard Grieg and Ole Bull, also celebrated Norwegian nature in their works, both by drawing inspiration from nature and by performing in the fjord landscape. This is also evident when visiting their homes in Bergen today. Kygo does not hide that Norwegian nature is a great source of inspiration for his music.
“The nature in Norway is beautiful, and Trolltunga is simply unique, with a view that takes your breath away,” describes Gørvell-Dahll.
Kygo has his idyllic residence in the city of Bergen, just a few hours´ drive from Trolltunga and the Hardangerfjord. The view from his living room window is not so unlike what Grieg saw from his composer´s cabin at Troldhaugen – not far away.
“The Feeling” at Trolltunga
On the opening track “The Feeling,” Kygo features the Norwegian artist Sigrid, who is from the fjord city of Ålesund. They have worked on this song for several years, but it is only in recent months that they have completed the song, which according to Kygo was magical to perform at Trolltunga.
