Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Nordic Noir

Lars Mikkelsen (House of Cards) and Vera Vitali (Bonus Family) read from the darker side of Nordic literature, haunted by the music of Sibelius, Nielsen, Bjork and Johannsson.

The actors Lars Mikkelsen (House of Cards, The Killing, Borgen and Ride upon the Storm) and Vera Vitali (star of the mega-hit series Bonus Family) read from the misdemeanour, magic and poetry of Scandinivian gloom and Nordic Noir - the term given to a genre of crime writing established in the Martin Beck series of novels by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. Other crime writing featured in the programme includes Jo Nesbø, Stieg Larsson and Henning Mankell, along with the philosophising of Søren Kierkegaard and prose by William Heinesen that straddles the spirit-world and imagination. As ever, music shapes and charges the atmosphere even further. Sibelius, Nielsen, Hildur Guðnadóttir, µþÂáö°ù°ì and Gyða Valtýsdóttir all feature.

You might be interested that tomorrow night Radio 3 broadcasts a documentary about the Immortal North in which Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough dives into a frozen Norwegian lake on her journey exploring ideas about ageing and mortality.

Image courtesy of Robin Skjoldborg.

Producer: Paul Frankl

Readings:
Jo Nesbo - The Snowman
Stieg Larsson - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
William Heinesen - The Tower At The Edge of the World
Per Petterson - Echoland
Tomas Transtromer - Alcaic
William Heinesen - The Tower At The End of the World
Dorthe Nors - Karate Chop
Lars Gustafsson - Snow
Arnaldur Indridason - The Shadow District
Sjowall & Wahloo - The Locked Room
Henning Mankell - The Fifth Woman
Soren Kierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death: A Christian Psychological Exposition for Upbuilding and Awakening

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Wed 30 Dec 2020 18:15

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • Jo Nesbo

    The Snowman, read by Lars Mikkelsen

  • 00:02

    Frans Bak

    The Killing

    Performer: Frans Bak.
    • DR.
  • Stieg Larsson

    The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, read by Vera Vitali

  • 00:07

    Jean Sibelius

    Kuolema (extract)

    Orchestra: Lahti Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Osmo Vänskä.
    • BIS CD915.
  • William Heinesen

    The Tower At The Edge of the World, read by Lars Mikkelsen

  • 00:17

    Edvard Grieg

    AnitraÂ’s Dance (Peer Gynt)

    Orchestra: San Francisco Symphony. Conductor: Herbert Blomstedt.
    • DECCA 425857 2.
  • Per Petterson

    Echoland, read by Vera Vitali

  • 00:20

    Dustin O’Halloran

    An Empty Space

    Performer: Gyða Valtýsdóttir.
    • 1631 Recordings MDCBLP001.
  • Tomas Transtromer

    Alcaic, read by Lars Mikkelsen

  • 00:25

    Riccardo Drigo

    Les Millions d'Arlequin

    Performer: Emanuel Feuermann. Performer: Gerald Moore.
    • HERITAGE HGGCD401.
  • William Heinesen

    The Tower At The End of the World, read by Vera Vitali

  • 00:27

    Carl Nielsen

    Saga Drom

    Orchestra: Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Herbert Blomstedt.
    • DG.
    • 4477572.
  • Dorthe Nors

    Karate Chop, read by Lars Mikkelsen

  • 00:38

    µþÂáö°ù°ì

    Hunter

    Performer: µþÂáö°ù°ì.
    • One Little Indian 222TP7CD.
  • Lars Gustafsson

    Snow, read by Vera Vitali

  • 00:43

    Jóhann Jóhannsson

    virdulegu Forsetar

    Ensemble: The Caput Ensemble. Performer: Guðni Franzson.
    • TOUCH TO:64.
  • Arnaldur Indridason

    The Shadow District, read by Lars Mikkelsen

  • 00:46

    Jannis Noya Makrigiannis

    Hollow Talk

    Performer: Choir of Young Believers.
    • Tigerspring TIGER-004.
  • Sjowall and Wahloo

    The Locked Room, read by Vera Vitali

  • 00:54

    Hildur Guðnadóttir

    Folk Faer Andlit

    Performer: Hildur Guðnadóttir.
    • DG 3864519.
  • 00:59

    Adam Nordén

    KurtÂ’s Theme

    Performer: Adam Nordén.
    • Kritzerland KR 20023 2.
  • Henning Mankell

    The Fifth Woman, read by Lars Mikkelsen

  • 01:02

    Jonsi

    Ti Ki

    Performer: Sigur Rós.
    • EMI 5496912.
  • Soren Kierkegaard

    The Sickness Unto Death:A Christian Psychological Exposition for Upbuilding and Awakening, read by Lars Mikkelsen

  • 01:09

    Daníel Bjarnason

    Bow to String, pt.2 “Air to Breath”

    Performer: Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir.
    • Bedroom Community HVALUR7CD.
    • 3.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 1 Mar 2020 17:30
  • Wed 30 Dec 2020 18:15

The hidden history of plant-based diets

The hidden history of plant-based diets

Forget social media influencers - the meat-free movement started with the Victorians.

Books website

Get closer to books with in-depth articles, quizzes and our picks from radio & TV.