Music from the Motion Picture O'Horten

With the tragicomedy O'Horten, Norwegian writer-director Bent Hamer (Factotum, Kitchen Stories) returns to his domestic landscapes, off-beat humanism and stylistic quirks of earlier works. The bittersweet episodic tale of an ultra-dedicated locomotive engineer uneasily transitioning into retirement provides warm and gently humorous entertainment. At the age of 67, loner (but not lonely) Odd Horton (Bard Owe) is forced to step down from his engine-driving job. An encounter with Trygve Sissener (Espen Skjonberg), an elderly gent with a cheerful "it's never too late" philosophy, inspires Horten to finally take off his uniform and open himself to things he never previously tried.

Music from the motion picture O'Horten
Soundtrack album by
Kaada
Released2008
RecordedWrongroom, Oslo
Genrefilm music
Length59:00
LabelKaada Recordings
(KAAA-015)
ProducerKaada

O'Horten was Norway's Academy Award entry for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009.

Reviewers praise John Kaada's music across the board. Variety calls it "outstanding." His score focuses on calm melodies played on exotic instruments, many of which he built himself. Kaada is himself an accomplished classical musician, touring with various chamber orchestras and performing at festivals.

Track listing

All music is composed by Kaada.

No.TitleEnglish titleLength
1."Blindekjøring"Blind Driving2:20
2."Hardangervidda"Across the Hardanger Mountain Plateau3:36
3."Valkyrien"Valkyrie2:06
4."Lillehammer GL"Lillehammer GL3:50
5."Svea"Svea2:50
6."Nordahl"Nordahl1:24
7."Molly"Molly4:39
8."Du liker tulipaner"Do You Like Tulips?2:58
9."Jeg har ikke vært ute og reist, altså"Traveling3:47
10."Nå har jeg blitt pensjonist, mor"Retirement Age Reached2:12
11."73082 Camelot"73082 Camelot2:01
12."Sandefjordsmør"Sandefjord Butter2:52
13."Finse"Finse2:03
14."Kona venter på laksen"My Wife Is Waiting for the Salmon1:42
Total length:35:40

Kaada quote from the cover sleeve : "The process of making the music for O’Horten was quite special. For every project I work on, I always try to get involved as early as possible. If I get music in there before the editing process begins, the entire music production becomes so much easier and the scenes seem to work better as well. Usually, directors are afraid to make decisions about music early on. When I deliver the first sketches, they tend to say: “Yeah, it sounds good, but make some more of this and that, so that we have more to choose from.” This is a natural reaction. After reading the script of O’Horten, I immediately started to work on the score. Bent Hamer’s reaction to the first samples was very surprising. When he heard the first track on the CD tentatively called main theme, he said: “YEP, we’ll go with that one!” Then he picked some other suggestions for different scenes. Bent is known for being a kick-ass good director and I wanted to make sure I had a strong album to bring to him. Yet, I never expected this kind of response. It was surprising and a bit shocking. They had not even started with principal photography. I had more than a year to work on these selected songs until the final deadline!"

Musicians
  • John Erik Kaada – string instruments
  • Sinsen Filharmoniske Selskap - string orchestra
  • Christer Knutsen – Highstring guitar
  • Geir Sundstøl – lapsteel and harmonica
  • Jane Helen Johansen - acoustic guitar and mandolin
  • Harpreet Bansal-violin
  • Renate Engevold - violin
  • Bendik Foss - viola
  • Sigrun Eng - cello
  • Øyvind Storesund - double bass and bowed vibraphone
  • Dan Dare - Mallets
  • Erland Dahlen – percussion
  • Theresa Drift - flutes
  • Cain Marko - clarinet
  • Lena Nymark – woodwind
  • Børge Fjordheim – elbass

Others involved
  • Recorded and mixed at Wrongroom, Oslo
  • Mastered by Espen Berg
  • Cover photo : Hans-Jørgen Osnes (Norwegian release)
  • Design: Blanke Ark (Norwegian release)
  • Cover design : Martin Kvamme (Norwegian release)
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