45th Parallel Universe Orchestra – Smörgåsbord

45th Parallel Universe founder Greg Ewer gathers his friends for a night of Scandinavian delights at the Liberty Theatre, 1203 Commercial St., Astoria, on January 31 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 for reserved seating and $25 with a season package.

The nyckelharpa and the hardanger fiddle are two of Scandinavia's most iconic traditional instruments. This program will feature folk music for both of these bowed instruments as well as a pair of youthful masterpieces by two of Scandinavia's most beloved composers, Carl Nielsen's String Quartet No. 1 and Edvard Grieg's tuneful Sonata in F Major for Violin and Piano. Both works are inspired in part by Scandinavian folk music and are gems of the chamber music literature.

· Edvard Grieg: Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Major, op. 8: Written in 1865, when Grieg was only 22, this piece offers abundant charm, compositional sophistication, and exceptional freshness. Though his fellow Norwegian composer Gerhard Schjelderup described it as “The work of a youth who has known only the sunny side of life,” the piece contains many instances of stark contrast between brightly optimistic sections and darker, more turbulent ones.

· Carl Nielsen: String Quartet No. 2 in f minor, Op. 5: Although Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) achieved international recognition as a composer and even today is regarded as Denmark’s most important 20th century composer, this is largely due to the reputation of his symphonies. Unfortunately, his excellent chamber music has remained almost unknown outside of Denmark.

Music will take place from 7-8 p.m. A post-performance reception with the artists will be held in the McTavish Room immediately following the performance. Main doors open at 6:30 p.m. Free tickets for students under 18 years old are available in the box office. Tickets are available online at libertyastora.org.