Norway’s history of emigration provides the foundation for Ståle Kleiberg’s “Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament”, a new orchestral album performed by the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra under conductor Peter Szilvay. Through expansive orchestral writing and a deeply human perspective on migration, memory and belonging, the acclaimed Norwegian composer explores the experiences of people who left their homeland in search of a different future.
At the centre of the album is Symphony No. 3, Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament, commissioned by the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and premiered under Szilvay in April 2025. Written in connection with Norway’s National Jubilee 2030, the symphony reflects the 2025 theme of migration and identity. Its inspiration comes from the large wave of Norwegian emigration to North America during the 19th and 20th centuries, a period that saw many people leave familiar surroundings for the uncertainty of life across the ocean.
Across three movements, Kleiberg shapes this history into an emotional progression. The music moves from yearning through dramatic passages before reaching a hymn-like conclusion. Rather than presenting migration as a simple journey from one place to another, the symphony reflects the emotional weight of leaving home, the challenges of starting again, and the search for a sense of belonging in unfamiliar surroundings.
The album also looks towards a more painful chapter of Norwegian history through Lamento – Cissi Klein in memoriam (2001). The work honours Cissi Klein, a young Jewish girl from Trondheim who was killed during the Second World War. It forms part of Kleiberg’s trilogy addressing Nazi persecution, alongside his Requiem and cello concerto Dopo. Its inclusion brings a more intimate and sombre perspective to an album that considers how personal lives and wider historical events shape collective memory.
Completing the programme is The Town and its People (2022), adding another dimension to the album’s musical narrative. Together, the three works create a programme that moves between individual remembrance, community and the broader experiences that connect people across generations.
Kleiberg is one of Norway’s most accomplished living composers, recognised for a musical language that combines warmth of expression with an interest in history and human experience. His larger works, including Requiem – for the Victims of Nazi Persecution and David and Bathsheba, have received international acclaim. He is Professor Emeritus of Music at NTNU in Trondheim and has maintained a long-standing artistic relationship with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra.
With Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament, Kleiberg brings together stories of migration, remembrance and belonging through orchestral music that balances historical reflection with emotional depth.
Follow Ståle Kleiberg:@kleibergstale