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The film was found in the archives of the Norwegian National Library by Arnulf Mattes and Michael CustodisÌýin connection with the ongoing project on Norwegian musical life 1940–45.

Grieg Research Centre would like to thankÌýValentin Fyrst for exclusive permission to show Walter Fyrst's Grieg-film in full length on the website of the Grieg Research Centre. Further,Ìýwe wouldÌýlike to thank Bent Kvalvik at Nasjonalbiblioteket Oslo for generous support.

The celebrations of Edvard Grieg’s centennial in 1943 offer a unique opportunity for imagining the structures of Norwegian musical life under totalitarian conditions.ÌýAlthough the few authors that touched upon the events of 1943 referred to this movie, it seems that nobody has seen it ever since. After intensive inquiries it could be located in Oslo’s Nasjonalbiblioteket. To disenchant the myths that entwined around it over the years, it is shown here for the first time. Although the presented images seem innocent and unideological, we nevertheless are dealing with a piece of intended Nazi-propaganda. This calls for critical distance of the viewers and scholarly comment.

The assessment (political, aesthetic, moral)ÌýofÌýhighly politicized artistic works such as Fyrst's short-film,Ìýcreated during the occupation, is far from conclusive and until today provokeÌýcontroversial debatesÌýin caseÌýsuch works were to beÌýperformed.ÌýSince eachÌýwork is unique and has to be understood in its specific context, generalizations about art and its use asÌýpropaganda ignore theÌýinticaciesÌýof the relationship between art and politics, ethicsÌýand aestheticsÌýof artisticÌýproduction, perception, and reception. In the case of Norwegian artists accused of and convictedÌýforÌýparticipating in the occupation regime's cultural propaganda, most of them became rehabilitated after the war. Many artists never were charged in a court room at all:ÌýTheÌýdecisions were made byÌýthe artists' societies' commitees, suggesting who to include and who to exclude. The majority of politically compromised artists became rehabilitated after a shorter period after the war, many of them recommencing their careers within their field.ÌýThese processesÌýstill awaitÌýto be scrutinized systematically, as it is the case with Walter Fyrst's.

Accordingly, theÌýinvestigationÌýof the Grieg centennaries in 1943 adds necessary historical context, including further archival material that proves the unquestionable political background of the movie. Moreover, it might contribute to theÌýretrospectiveÌýunderstanding ofÌýart as propaganda in Norway, withÌýGriegÌýright atÌýthe centre ofÌýcultural and ideologicalÌýwarfare.ÌýÌý

Excerpt from:Ìý
Michael Custodis and Arnulf Mattes
'Celebrating the Nordic ToneÌý–ÌýFighting for National Legacy: The Grieg Centennial 1943', in:Ìý, ed. David Fannings and Erik Levi, Routledge, 2019:Ìý

"After three years of political and military occupation, the Grieg centennial in June 1943 gave the new German masters a long awaited opportunity to praise not only the iconic Norwegian composer, but most of all the close, and stronger than ever cultural bonds with their NordicÌýBrudervolk.ÌýMuch seems to be known about the sequence of events during 1943. However, the recollection of these events has mostly been left to fragmentary reports and anecdotes, told by protagonists or bystanders, and was kept intact and more or less uncommented in the historical narrative after 1945. Many sources have still not been considered.

During the celebrations in 1943, all major parties’ protagonists came together to celebrate the allegedly unifying idol, a gathering that gives an impression of occupied Norway’s musical life in a nutshell. When Josef Terboven’s Reichskommissariat was established at the end of April 1940, following Adolf Hitler’s direct command, Reichsminister für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda Joseph Goebbels immediately sent his young, loyal personal consultantÌýÌýto take over all matters of propaganda. Müller imposed the organizational structures of the Reichskulturkammer onto Norway’s public life to control all cultural aspects.ÌýEven after Vidkun Quisling was promoted to prime minister under Terboven’s supervision in 1942, the previously practiced subdivision of affairs between German leaders and Norwegian subunits was kept intact. Therefore, under Müller’s control the former ‘StatsrÃ¥d’ Gulbrand Lunde was now entitled to function as the head of the NorwegianÌýKultur- og folkeopplysningsdepartementet. He was succeeded by Rolf J. Fuglesang after his accidental death in October 1942.Ìý

Terboven showed no interest in the cultural domain, so that Grieg’s centennial fell under Müller’s and Lunde’s duties.ÌýAll across Norway concerts, recitals and lectures were given to honour and remember Grieg, flanked by intense press reports and literary publications. For the official German ceremonies Müller in the presence of Vidkun Quisling declared on June 10, 1943 his commitment to Edvard Grieg. Avoiding the word ‘Nordic’ but speaking about Germanic and pan-Germanic bonds instead, and of course ignoring Grieg’s distinct statement against anti-Semitism in the middle of the Dreyfus affair, he emphasized Grieg’s central place in history.Ìý

For the official celebration in Bergen on June 15, German and Norwegian politicians joined forces, including Heinz Drewes, the influential head of the music department in Berlin’s Propagandaministerium, to place a wreath at Grieg’s grave in Goebbel'sÌýname. Later this day, a gala dinner was given, where Minister Rolf Fuglesang – who had spent NKR 98.700 for the various celebrations nationwide – delivered an official address to the Norwegian people, broadcast byÌý.ÌýThe archives of NRKÌýcontain also a remarkable six-minute report from the officialÌýÌýof June 28, 1943, documenting the official celebrations in Bergen from the point of view of the propaganda apparat, including the scene of the wreath-laying ceremony.

´¡»å»å¾±³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô²¹±ô±ô²â,ÌýÌýproduced a semi-documentary movie, juxtaposing famous sites from Grieg’s life such asÌý°Õ°ù´Ç±ô»å³ó²¹³Ü²µ±ð²ÔÌýwith rural scenes from the Hardanger region. The Reichskommissariat’s official newspaper had started reports early on in 1943 about a voluminous film dedicated to Grieg. But the closer the occasion came, the shorter the movie became. Documents in Oslo’s Riksarkiv reveal that Fyrst had a generous budget (with NKR 4.550 just for honorariums, app. NKR 3.000 for orchestra recordings, and further costs for outdoor shootings and editing), which nevertheless turned out to be insufficient for his ambitions (Riksarkivet Oslo, Sig. RA-S-1330-F-Fd-Fdb-L0003in, see illustration)Ìý.Ìý

After Fyrst had served as the Nasjonal samling’s propaganda chief from 1933 to 1934 and become a professional director and producer, Fyrst knew the business quite well and drove tough bargains with the official administration at Kultur- og folkeopplysningsdepartementet, though he even feared actions of local farmers to sabotage a staged bridal march in the Hardanger valley. The final version of the movie featured Grieg’s most famous tunes, recorded with Odd Grüner-Hegge and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, and popular soloists such as Randi HeideÌýSteen performing Grieg’sÌýSolveig’s songÌýas a mise en scène in a traditional costume in front of aÌýNorwegian mountain cabin with goats jumping around. Aftenposten's evening issueÌýfromÌý15 June 1943Ìý(see illustration)Ìýand even theÌýDeutsche Zeitung in NorwegenÌýwere publicly rather criticalÌýtowards what has been expected to be a highlight of official German-Norwegian Grieg propaganda."