Alexander Rybak and Arve Tellefsen - some similarities in their careers and collaborations
Two videos, both parts of an old interview in the TV program "Fredag" on TV2, on the 9th April 2010 - with Alexander and Arve Tellefsen, todays most famous violinist Alexander collaborated many times with.
The focus was on Ole Bull, the world famous Norwegian violinist, on the occasion of his 200 years anniversary of birth, and the release of Tellefsen's album with Ole Bull's music.
And learn more about the resemblances between the two artists below the videos⬇
You can watch the videos here with English and Russian translation, if you turn on the subtitles:
The videos only:
Part 1
Host:
- Welcome Arve Tellefsen and Alexander Rybak!
Arve, Alexander:
- Thanks!
H:
- Arve, you have taught us to appreciate the work of Ole Bull for several decades.
And on Monday you release a new album with Ole Bull's music.
What makes Ole Bull so great?
Arve:
- Yes, as you said, he is probably the first Norwegian known
to the whole world after the Danish period.
And what he did for Norwegian culture cannot be overestimated.
He opened the first Norwegian theater after the Danish period.
For 400 years, Norwegian culture had a low self-esteem.
And Ole Bull had a high self-esteem - he was born in Bergen.
He opened the first Norwegian theater, and there he hired a young talented writer, 22-year-old Henrik Ibsen. When Ibsen left, a new leader, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, also very talented, appeared in the theater. Ole Bull was the one who discovered the young Edward Grieg.
He received a musical education in Germany.
H:
- He introduced the music of Myllarguten to Oslo.
Arve:
- Yes, Ole Bull did a lot for the Norwegian folk music, he brought it from villages to big cities, thanks to which city residents were able to learn the amazing Norwegian folk music.
Host:
- Alexander, what do you think of Ole Bull?
Alexander:
- I really like when people, becoming famous, begin to discover new talents. I fully support this.
When I came to participate in the Melodi Grand Prix, I did not think much about winning.
But almost immediately, I told Per Sundnes that he should listen to my friend Didrik Solli-Tangen, who deserves to participate in the competition next year. Therefore, I think Ole Bull is a role model for me in this regard. And you, Arve, said almost everything I thought to say about Ole Bull. All the most important things. And when you mentioned Myllarguten, I felt - ahh...
H:
- It says a lot about him ...
Alexander:
- But there are strange facts too.
For example, that he created his own colony in America or something like that.
Or did not create, but bought? Was it like this?
Arve:
- Yes, he wanted to create a Norwegian state in America.
H:
- But it didn’t work out. His project went bankrupt.
Alexander:
- We win in some things and we lose in other things. He also poured water from the bath in bottles, which he took and sold them as perfume. In this he is also an example for me.
Arve:
- Returning to the state in America, I wanted to say that he was trying to help Norwegian farmers. But he did not understand agriculture, so he acquired barren land.
Here you can relate to Peer Gynt, who also had to create a state only under the name Gyntiana. Oleana - Gyntiana...
It seems to me that Henrik Ibsen was inspired by the story of Ole Bull when they worked together in the theater in Bergen.
H:
- Yes, many people think that Ole Bull is a prototype of Peer Gynt.
Alexander:
- Except... that Ole Bull was a really good businessman.
Arve:
- This is a topic for discussion...
Host:
- You think so?
Alexander:
- Yes, I see it as a mixture of you and Jan Fredrick Karlsen, if you know what I mean.
Host:
- Alexander, you are Ole Bull of our time. Surely the year after the Eurovision victory was amazing..
Alexander:
- Yes, absolutely.
H:
- How do you remember it?
A:
- When I... There was a lot of stress this year. But you don’t remember all this stress, you don’t
remember all these sleepless nights. All that you remember is what you have achieved.
So when I go to bed, I think: "Yes, I did this, this and this."
For example, I attended a secret meeting at Stern (newspaper) in Berlin, where they almost never let anyone in, and I began their day with my song. I met a lot of legendary personalities who mean a lot to me. But this is a big responsibility as well...
You realize that you have a duty to the public that really expects much more from you than just your music. This is both for better and for worse. And you must be a good boy here, too.
H:
- A few months ago, you wrote on your Facebook page that you had difficult times. Did you beat the wall?
Alexander:
- Yes... I meet the wall every day, then I break it and move on... But that was a little irrational by me. I got a lot of calls and messages from everywhere, while I was in a difficult time.
And I knew that if I wrote it on Facebook, everyone would get the message: "stop bothering me". And it worked. There was no one who dared to send me a message the next three weeks,
but instead, they sent messages to my mom and my neighbor. So I regret it a bit, you shouldn’t share everything in public...
Part 2
Host:
- Alexander is a big star now, and you, Arve, have also been a big star for many years.
Arve:
- Only there was no Facebook back then.
H:
- Not only that, there are other requirements for musicians today, especially classical ones.
A:
- Yes... The competition has become more fierce than in the years of my youth.
We also had competition, but today there are a lot of good young musicians.
H:
- Are you happy that you started your career a little earlier than Alexander?
Arve:
- Yes, but I would also like to be young today and compete with him.
Alexander:
- I think you proved to everyone at the Opera concert that you were still young.
Have you seen it last year?
And you became an even bigger star among my friends when they saw how do you play with a bow clutched between your knees. It was fantastic.
H:
- You are 73 years old, right?
Arve:
- Yes.
H:
- And, probably, in every interview over the past 10 years you are asked the same question:
"When are you going to retire?"
Arve:
- I have never heard this question. (laughs)
I didn’t really think about it. I try to work less.
But now is the year of Ole Bull with a new album and many concerts dedicated to Ole Bull,
because I'm fascinated by his personality and great music. Therefore, this year should be intense. But I try to slow down, and you, on the contrary, increase the speed.
Alexander:
- You talk like... I also wanted to say...
I don’t know if this news is good or bad for you, but you’ll have to work even harder the next 2-3 years, because now the popularity of violin is growing because of... I don’t know why... (laughs)
Arve:
- Thanks to the music schools of Norway.
Alexander:
- Yes, and they need a good role model to follow.
Therefore, I will be very sorry if you step back too much now.
Arve:
- Yes? So, maybe then I’ll accelerate, and you will slow down the pace?
Alexander:
- Yes, for a while.
Host:
- You have small children, Arve. Are they already practicing the violin?
Arve:
- Yes, they play violin and piano.
And today they received autographs from Alexander and Didrik.
Alexander:
- When I was a student in Barrat Due, we were had to visit music schools,
where very young children are taught to play the violin. And we had to watch the lessons.
Once I was in a lesson at Uranienborg school, and Arve sat there... It was funny to see him as my role model, who I used to see like this... (showing how he holds the violin while playing)
Suddenly to see him kneeling and helping the child play, showing how to hold its hand properly.
I was very moved.
Arve: There is no doubt that Alexander is directly related to
that among young people there was a huge interest in learning to play the violin.
There was a big interest in playing violin also before, but it's much more now.
True, if you follow the example of Alexander, now you also need to sing.
Alexander: And to have three dancers.
H: Alexander, you are nominated for the Muz-TV Award in Russia, right?
Alexander:
- Yes.
H:
-You have to repeat the success and perhaps collect prizes there too?
Alexander:
- Yes, I am very impressed that Russian people understand me and my music.
I speak broken Russian, and I did not think that I would be interesting to them.
But I was very lucky, in fact... that the Russians accepted me. And I have to say that I am very proud of it.
Arve:
- You really have a reason for this.
Alexander:
- Yes, a popularity poll was conducted in Russia... OK, now I am bragging now... 72% of the respondents know the name of the new president, and my name 86%.
Arve:
- Maybe you should be the president?
Host:
- We wish you good luck on that. And I am sure that we will hear a lot more about Alexander after the Eurovision too.
Arve, good luck with the release of your album on Monday.
Arve:
- Yes, and maybe you will hear about me after the Eurovision too.
H:
- Of course! And there will be the Chamber Music Festival, right?
Arve:
- Yes, in August.
H:
- Maybe we'll come back on that..
Arve:
- Thanks.
H:
- Thank you for joining the Fredag program today.
Alexander, Arve:
- I was pleased.
This is Arve Tellefsen's album with Ole Bull's music they mention in the video:
on Spotify
on Discogs
5 years later, Alexander himself got to impersonate his big role model Ole Bull and he has done do for 5 times in a row every year from 2015 on in the historical theater play Soot-spelet, performed outdoors in the unique canal amphitheatre in Ørje, Norway.
Read more about it here ➡HERE
Watch joint performances of Alexander and Arve Tellefsen in this playlist:
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