Kaare Sæther
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Kaare Sæther | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 13, 1920 |
| Died | February 12, 1987 (aged 66) |
| Occupation | Violinist |
Kaare Sæther (October 23, 1920 – February 12, 1987) was a Norwegian violinist, philharmonic member, and violin teacher.[1][2][3]
Sæther was born in Bærums Verk, Norway. In 1944 he married Ellen Ekelund, with whom he had three daughters. Sæther studied violin with Øivin Fjeldstad.[4] He played as a violinist with the Oslo Philharmonic from 1945 to 1985. Sæther debuted as a soloist at the University Hall (Norwegian: Universitetets Aula) in Oslo in 1946 accompanied by Robert Levin.
Kaare Sæther died in Harestua, Norway.[5] He and his wife Ellen Sæther are buried at Grua Church.[5]
As a student of Øivin Fjeldstad, Sæther played in Fjeldstad's chamber orchestra, later the Youth Chamber Orchestra (Norwegian: De unges kammerorkester), and he began to play early in his career with the Philharmonic Society Orchestra, as the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra was then called. After he married, to support his family he became involved in the orchestra at the German Theater (German: Deutsches Theater) at Stortingsgata 16. In the summer of 1945, he auditioned for a vacant position in the philharmonic, where he was placed in first chair in the second violin group next to the German violinist Walter Werner. Sæther led the second violin group for over 35 years, sharing first chair in alternation with Walter Werner, Bjørn Woll, Borghild Nygaard, Peter Hindar, Noralf Glein, and Kåre Fuglesang. For the last three seasons, from 1982 to 1985, he occupied second chair in the group and performed together with four former students in the first chair in both violin groups: Terje Tønnesen, John Arne Hirding, Jørn Halbakken, and Frode Hoff.
Sæther was a talented orchestral musician that could play everything placed on the music stand in front of him prima vista, regardless of difficulty. His musical memory was remarkable, and he was able to explain in detail the interpretations and technical solutions of both conductors and guest soloists during the forty years he worked in the orchestra. As the "orchestra's memory," he was a valuable source of knowledge about the philharmonic's inner workings and staff history. Via his teacher Øivin Fjeldstad—and his teacher Gustav Fredrik Lange—he could trace the Norwegian orchestral tradition back to the time of Iver Holter, Johan Halvorsen, and Johan Svendsen. Little of Sæther's knowledge about this tradition was written down or preserved for posterity.