Composers, Soundtrack
Geir Bøhren & Bent Åserud
Bøhren & Åserud have played a central role in Norwegian film music since the early 1980s. Their breakthrough with Orion's Belt and the popular universe of Christmas in Blue Mountains made them prominent voices in Norwegian film and TV production. They have been among the country's most sought-after composers for several decades and have helped shape the expression in a number of important Norwegian film narratives.
"The duo Bøhren and Åserud have enriched us with film and TV music since the 70s." musikkenforsterker.no
"There is a stroke of genius with the cheerful and melancholic music of Geir Bøhren and Bent Åserud, which helps create a unique atmosphere in the film." filmklikk.no about the music of Mendel
releases
BIO
Geir Bøhren (b. 1951) and Bent Åserud (b. 1950) have been one of Norway's most prominent composer duos for over four decades. Their collaboration began in their teens: both played in school bands and met as students at Sandaker Realskole, where they started a band together – a collaboration that later developed into the prog rock group Junipher Greene. (musikkenforsterker.no)
After studying at the Norwegian Academy of Music, they took the step into the world of film, and their breakthrough came with Orion's Belt (1985). The music became a sensation, won the Amanda Award and is today considered one of the most influential soundtracks in Norwegian film history. Among the tracks is Karneval i Oslo, which is both included in the film's soundtrack and later became known from the iconic Japp commercial.
In the 1990s, a series of major productions followed that solidified their position:
• Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon (1991) – a magnificent adventure film with a clear melodic identity
• Frida – med hjertet i händen (1991) – a youth film with warm and character-bearing themes
• Søndagsengler (1996) – later Oscar-nominated
• Jul i Blåfjell (1999) – a modern Christmas classic, for which the duo received the Spellemannprisen for film music
Their working style has always been characterized by curiosity and genre mixing. They have been known for integrating non-traditional instruments such as the mouth harp, bagpipes, langeleik, nature sounds and mechanical objects to give each production a unique sonic expression. This made them one of the most recognizable and original composing teams in Norwegian film music.
Throughout their career, Bøhren & Åserud have composed music for around 30 feature films, over 25 TV series and a wide range of advertising and commissioned works. They have also been active in TONO and contributed to the work on Norwegian and Nordic rights conditions for composers.
Today they still work together from their studio at Kjelsås in Oslo, where they develop new projects and continue their lifelong collaboration. Their music and working methods have left a clear mark on Norwegian audiovisual culture, and many of their themes remain as part of our collective musical history.
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