News 11/04/98 Norway Opera Boss Slams Nobel Concert (fwd)

Elizabeth Platt ([email protected])
Sun, 8 Nov 1998 16:53:54 -0800 (PST)

[More news catch-up here...no heavy U2 content in this article, but in
light of all the interest in the Nobel concert, I thought this might give
some of you a chuckle...wonder how upset this fella would be if U2, and a
horde of their fans (without tickets!) were to show up? =:) --
eaplatt]

News from the Wire Services Re: Ireland & the Irish

RT 11/04/98 11:30 Norway Opera Boss Slams Nobel Concert

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   Norway Opera Boss Slams Nobel Concert As Cheap Pop

RTw 11/04/98 11:30
Copyright 1998 Reuters Ltd

    By Alister Doyle

     OSLO, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Norway's opera chief on Wednesday
blasted a planned Nobel Peace Prize concert as a "cultural
scandal" for including foreign pop stars like Elton John and
The Cranberries ahead of Nordic artists.

     Bjoern Simensen said guardians of the prize, to be
awarded on December 10 to Northern Ireland politicians John
Hume and David Trimble, were allowing tawdry commercialism and
television ratings to cheapen the award.

     He said the December 11 Nobel concert would be a
"cultural scandal" for plugging foreign pop stars and all but
ignoring the Nordic roots of the prize, set up by 19th century
Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel.

     "They should use another concept that would give more
emphasis to Norwegian and Nordic culture," Simensen, head of
the Norwegian opera, told Reuters.

     "This will be just another international concert. I do
not think this would have happened in Sweden, or France, or
Germany or Italy, in nations which are more proud of their
cultural heritage," he said.

     British rock star Phil Collins, Canadian singer Alanis
Morrissette, Irish rock band The Cranberries are included in
the Nobel line-up along with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and
Irish flautist James Galway. Elton John will appear by video.

     Norwegian rock band A-ha and pop singer Espen Lind, a
Norwegian orchestra and a boys' choir will be the Norwegian
contribution.

     Norway's most famous classical composer was Edvard Grieg,
with Swedish supergroup ABBA the top modern Nordic pop
success. Simensen said the Nordic region also had some of the
best opera singers in the world.

     The Norwegian Nobel Institute rejected Simensen's
criticisms, saying peace was international and that the
concert was unlikely to attract foreigners if it comprised
only Norwegian artists.

     "The criticism is unfair," institute director Geir
Lundestad told Reuters, adding that there was a "very
significant" Norwegian participation.

     "When we celebrate peace this has to be global...It would
be a mistake to make this a largely Norwegian concert," he
said, adding that African and Asian artists would also take
part.

     Catholic leader Hume and Protestant Trimble are sharing
the 1998 award, worth 7.6 million Swedish crowns ($970,000) as
architects of the Northern Ireland peace deal.

     Lundestad said the concert, the fifth since the idea was
launched in 1994, would be beamed to television audiences in a
record of more than 100 countries.

     The 1997 concert was the first big popular success and
included singers Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, Jewel and Emmylou
Harris. "We've tried different formats," he said. "In 1995 we
had a classical concert."

     Simensen said the Nobel Committee should follow the
example of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, where the widely-
praised opening ceremony was purely Norwegian.

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-------
Jay Dooling ([email protected])
Irish Aires - 90.1FM KPFT in Houston
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Irish_Aires/homepage.htm
Dooling & Mabe, CPA
http://www.doolingmabe-cpa.com/
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