This concert performance is a musical encounter with one of Norway’s most beloved poets, Halldis Moren Vesaas (1907–1995). Vesaas wrote simple, narrative poems with great poetic power. She is known for her accessible language, with verses that express deep emotions and human experiences, often through imagery drawn from nature.
Lines from her poems have become ingrained in our cultural memory — almost like poetic proverbs. Through her poetry, she celebrates love and life, but also finds the poetic in the everyday: in housework, childcare, and care for others. When Halldis Moren Vesaas debuted with her first collection of poetry, she gave Norwegian literary tradition a female voice — one that future poets have continued to build upon.
In my childhood, my grandparents were a source of safety and support. My grandfather was the «adventurer» — a welder for most of his working life, a proud laborer and athlete who worked hard to build the family life he and my grandmother had dreamed of. My grandmother was strong and wise, with a deep love for literature. She introduced me to both Norwegian and international authors in a way that I can still feel in my body when I think back. When I recall Hans Børli, I almost feel and smell the rough hands of the lumberjack as they were so vividly described in the biography we read together.
My grandmother brought poetry to life — I could taste the words and images as if they were my own.
Later, when I was a teenager and young adult living away from home, she would send me letters. Every time I found an envelope in the mail, I knew we’d soon have something exciting to talk about on the phone. She was a treasure, and for me, too, literature has become a lifelong companion.
My collaboration with Henning Rød Haugland (who holds a master’s degree in jazz from Copenhagen and Rio de Janeiro) spans nearly 25 years. Together, we’ve developed a sensitive and exploratory musical interplay, marked by generosity and creative energy. Folk music and song-based storytelling have always been at the heart of our repertoire. All music in»Halldis» is original, composed by Runesdatter and Haugland.
Tung tids tale
Det heiter ikkje: eg – no lenger. Heretter heiter det: vi.
Eig du lykka så er ho ikkje lenger berre di.
Alt det som bror din kan ta imot av lykka di, må du gi.
Alt du kan løfte av børa til bror din, må du ta på deg.
Det er mange ikring deg som frys, ver du eit bål, strål varme ifrå deg!
Hender finn hender, herd stør herd, barm slår varmt imot barm.
Det hjelper da litt, nokre få forfrosne at du er varm!
– Fra “Tung tids tala” (1945)
