Ståle Kleiberg might be an unfamiliar name to some, yet if you were Norwegian and into classical music, his name would call for respect and admiration, given the phenomenal career the talented composer has built so far. ‘Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament’ marks Kleiberg’s latest album, a collection of like-minded symphonies performed by the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Peter Szilvay.
Central to the record is ‘Kleiberg’s Symphony No. 3, Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament’, commissioned by the orchestra and premiered under Szilvay in April 2025. It’s here that we can catch a glimpse of Ståle’s epic compositional style, continuously playing with tension and release, and using the full width of the orchestra when required. In that sense, the general feeling is the one of a magnificent opera, full of emotive charge and cinematic elegance.
The Symphony is packed with significance; as we are told: “Written in connection with Norway’s National Jubilee 2030, with 2025 dedicated to migration and identity, the symphony explores the great wave of Norwegian emigration to North America during the 19th and 20th centuries. Across three movements, the work follows an emotional journey from yearning through drama to a hymn-like conclusion, reflecting the experiences of those who left Norway in search of a new life across the ocean.”
Recommended! Discover ‘Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament’ now: