Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival is the UK’s largest and most important festival of new and experimental music. This year’s festival marks the arrival of a three-year initiative to present the best sounds from across the North Sea. Music from Norway has been a strong presence at hcmf// in previous years, but in 2010 the festival welcomes further links with the country’s composers and musicians, through a project funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with liaison support from Music Information Centre Norway.

One of the productions at the festival is a tribute to the composer Arne Nordheim, who died earlier this year. The concert on November 25 is presented by NOTAM, and consists of the following program:

• Solitaire
• Partita für Paul
• Polypoly
• Listen inside outside

The pieces will be performed by Eldbjørg Hemsing on violin, Einar Steen Nøkleby on the piano, and Mats Claesson and Asbjørn Blokkum Flø on electronics.

Other Norwegian contributions to the festival:

• The composer Lene Grenager will have her work Rondo for kontrabass premiered, commissioned by the festival for the Trondheim-based double bass player Michael Duch.
• The accordeonist Frode Haltli will perform Seven Imperatives by Rolf Wallin. Haltli has been a frequent guest at HCMF since 2001, and this year he will perform together with Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart.
• The violinist Peter Herresthal is performing a concert with the Danish cellist Jakob Kullberg on November 21, where among other things he will premiere Jon Øivind Ness: A.J.P. Tailoring
• The British ensemble Plus Minus, who have a history of collaborating with Norwegian composers and musicians, will perform Concert Music by Trond Reinholdsen on November 26, while composer and violinist Ole-Henrik Moe is performing his own work Vent – Litt – Lenger together with Arditti Quartet the next day.
• A particular special occasion is when London Sinfonietta, conducted by Baldur Brönnimann, will perform a total of three works by Rolf Wallin on Saturday November 27: Stream, Curiosity Cabinet and Appearances.

About the Nordheim concert on the HCMF website