Oeystein Olsen Vadsten

Storslått

Storslått or in English “Grand Nordic Tune” is one of many original pieces written by composer Øystein Olsen Vadsten. "Slått" is a general term for music played to traditional Norwegian dances.

“Grand Nordic Tune” was a commissioned work for the Rælingen Musikklag's 70-year anniversary concert in 2022, where the piece was premiered. They wanted something a little pompous, and preferably something in the style of Nordic folk music, which the composer is known for. The title in Norwegian then was obvious, "Storslått", which in Norwegian has a double meaning, both a big tune and, in a double meaning, pompous or magnificent.

As usual, the starting point is a traditional Nordic dance form, and this time the choice fell on the distinctive Swedish "polska", which is played in ¾. The dance, despite its name, reportedly has no connection to Poland, but is entirely of Scandinavian origin. It has been danced for centuries, and has also been called the devil's dance, because it had a hypnotizing effect on people, so that they could not stop, but danced themselves to death. Hence people thought that it must have been the devil who caused it.

Traditionally, there is a lot of repetition in this type of music, which contributes to this hypnotic effect.