Like many Norwegians born in the countryside, Ragnar Bjerkreim's last
name is the same as his place of birth. He was born in Bjerkreim county
on April 19th, 1958. He got a keen interest in music at a very early
age and eventually majored in Music at the University of Oslo; his
thesis was entitled "The Function of Film Music". Fittingly it was as a
film composer Bjerkreim would make his greatest impact.
His first success was the soundtrack to the 80s audience hit "Kamilla
og tyven" and its sequel. Eventually he would become one of the most
productive Norwegian composers in film and television. Especially worth
noting is his score for the imaginary adventure movie "Jakten på
nyresteinen" (Chasing the kidneystone), where he created a main theme
that is one of the most Hollywood'esque music pieces to ever grace
Norwegian cinema. Bjerkreim has also composed music for concert halls,
mainly vocal music. In this genre his greatest composition is perhaps
"Missa Caritatis", a religious musical journey to be performed in
churches, inspired by the christian message of love. The mass combines
gregorian song, choir, gospel, rock and jazz in a very bold yet
beautiful way.
Bjerkreim's interest in social issues became visible when he composed
the score for the United Nations 50th Anniversary TV-special "Music to
a planet" (Musikk til en klode), where his music accompanied images
from the history of the world organization. Bjerkreim has had several
critically acclaimed records published, including several soundtrack
albums. He has also written music for theater and even scored childrens
musicals. He lives in Oslo, Norway.
