THE NEWS FFOM BRUNER’S BROOD TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2026 NORDHORDLAND MUSIC THEATRE CONCERT #1 - KNARVIK LUTHERAN CHURCH, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2026

Hi everyone!

This is the second posting regarding my local concert tour with the Nordhordland Music Theatre that has an English language translation from a local newspaper. This newspaper is named “Avisa Nordhordland.” Oddbjørn Rosnes was one photographer, while Arthur Kleiveland doubled as photographer and journalist. I’m delighted to be able to present what was written locally to all outside Norway on my Facebook pages and at www.trentbruner.com. The second performance takes place on Wednesday, February 11th at Nordbygda samfunnshus in Rivnes. Here’s the information about the first performance and the content of the program. Enjoy this article and we’ll see you somewhere down the musical trail!

Musically Yours, Trent

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From the Old Steamer to "The Ferry to Heaven" - With Pizza, Pote and Full Music

Article by Arthur Kleiveland, Avisa Nordhordland, Isdalstø, Norway

Published online February 9, 2026, 7:00 PM Central European Standard Time

English Translation and Edits: Trent Bruner

The Strilane have "survived" after the old steamer laid its anchor down for good and the last pair of wooden shoes were put away. Nordhordland Music Theatre conveys the historical journey through fine depictions in a musical encounter with landscape, nature and folk customs in the concert program "Dar gjekk dampen, men her kjem vi!"

A long, unknown story also comes for a day amidst the program of local songs.

The over 300 attendees in Knarvik church got a dose of nostalgia with "Dar kjem dampen" as the opening number.

The five vocalists and an ensemble of four followed up with songs and songs that gave a taste of how life has developed in Nordhordland after the old fjord boats became obsolete and roads and bridges took over.

"A lot of work"

“We have had a good time. But have we taken good care of ourselves? Have we taken good care of the heritage we have received from our ancestors? And what are the consequences of a changed way of life?” These are questions that arise in the historical musical play, put together by Rune Garmann from Masfjorden. He has spent a year composing the work, and he has written several of the lyrics in the play. Among other things, a tribute to "Vinkemannen".

“It has been an extensive job, but both meaningful and fun. Fantastic fun with the great response from the audience,” says Garmann, who adds that many people have contributed to the performance.

On stage he had Kjersti Møllerup Wiik, Bjørn Tore Henriksen, Anveig Solberg and Håvard Giezendanner as vocalists, the latter also as mediators of interludes that put the performance into different blocks written by the scriptwriter, plus a great-sounding ensemble with Trent Bruner (piano), Jon Martin Skauge (guitar), Tore Vabø (bass) and Espen Vågstøl (drums).

“Give Me Pizza with Pote”

There was sadness in our villages when the steamship no longer ran its usual route between the City of Bergen and our villages. The fjord boat was an important meeting point on the quays, especially on Saturdays when those who worked in the city came home. Here, new things were eaten, and one could see who was coming and going. And there was the smell of fresh pastries; Wittenberg and seed bread, penny buns and tea bread in the boxes. And people received mail and pharmacy goods.

The audience sang along merrily to the chorus when the ensemble entered with the Salhus Quintet's legendary "There will be other buns when the father comes home". That time, much was about locally grown and locally sourced food. But the festival was not a homecoming in that context. Here, people heard the revue about "gé meg pizza med pote", for which Tore Nysæter signed the lyrics, and Ivar Medaas wrote the music. Here, more exotic food customs from other parts of the world have reached the festival, but one cannot avoid pote.

"The 'Secret' Story"

In Aslaug Låstad Lygre's song "En einsame roaren", the song pays tribute to him who rowed across the land every evening and lit the lighthouse that allowed the liner to find the right course.

The program contains several poems by Låstad Lygre, not least the beautiful and very well-known "Du skal ikkje sova bort sumarnatta".

The story behind this song has not been known to the public. Aslaug and two friends from the district developed a close and warm friendship that would last a lifetime. When the school year at Fana People's College came to an end, they knew that from now on they would hardly be able to be together as much as they would like. So they used the time as best they could, and on bright June nights they walked together under the leafy trees that can still be seen around the people's college in Milde.

Aslaug wrote this poem many years later, while she was undergoing tuberculosis treatment at the Harastølen sanatorium in Luster, as a memory of the happy early summer days and nights at the folk high school.

“One of Aslaug's friends told the story at a meeting of the village council in Masfjorden, but her daughter had never heard her tell about it,” says Garmann.

"A Bible and a Hymnbook"

The song play also has lyrics and songs about love and strife, and about the Strilane and Our Lord.

It is said that if there were no other books in a home, the Bible, a hymnbook and received mail would often be there. One indication that religious life was close to people's everyday lives is the variety of religious songs that have been in use, something that Kjersti Wiik, among others, performed very well.

Nature and landscape are also depicted in several features, including in Arne Høyland's songs about "Bolstadfjorden" and "Osterfjorden", and in "Sommarvise", to which Ivar Medaas has set the melody, which depicts the flora on the hills and bays in our district.

It is concluded that living here has made things better in many ways: "Materially, we have never been better off than we are now. We can acquire things that our ancestors could never even dream of, perhaps because they could not afford them, or because these things did not exist when our ancestors roamed the landscape we now believe is ours. At the same time, we have thrown away something. Land that our ancestors cleared and cultivated is growing again. Instead of growing more of what we need, we buy it from other places and have it transported here. It is cheaper that way, we think." The show ends with Arne Høyland's song "Himmelferjo", which says that "It’s good that I reached the ferry to another land."