Edvard Grieg's Haugtussa by Martje Vande Ginste

Haugtussa (or The Mountain Maid) is not only the name of Edvard Grieg’s celebrated song cycle—Opus 67, published in 1898—but also the title of a poetry collection by Arne Garborg, written in 1895. It is the story of this poetic work that inspired Grieg’s composition.

Thanks to Grieg’s Haugtussa, Garborg’s story achieved international recognition and continues to inspire audiences today. This new Haugtussa edition, published in March 2025 by Edition Rugerup, marks the first complete German translation of Arne Garborg’s landmark poetic cycle.

The translation was undertaken by our very own Martje Vande Ginste together with artist Juliane Hollerbach. Martje Vande Ginste is a soprano who studied voice in Antwerp, Vienna, and Oslo. She specialized in Scandinavian art song of the 19th and 20th centuries during her laureate studies at the Orpheus Instituut in Ghent, under the supervision of Jozef De Beenhouwer. Juliane Hollerbach complements the project with her broad experience as a singer, dancer, actress, and choreographer, actively working across a wide range of musical and theatrical genres.

Haugtussa tells the story of Veslemøy, a young shepherdess gifted with second sight, and reflects Garborg’s profound connection to the Norwegian landscape. Distinct from his earlier naturalistic novels, Haugtussa stands as both a unique cycle of poetry and a timeless coming-of-age story, capturing Veslemøy’s inner awakening and existential struggles set against the mystical backdrop of Jæren.

Alongside this literary publication, a new extended edition of Edvard Grieg’s Haugtussa Op. 67 has been published by Faber Music (Edition Peters). This performer-friendly score features pronunciation guides, IPA transcriptions, and literal translations in German, English, and Dutch, along with downloadable audio resources. Introductory texts by Johannes Holtmon and Martje Vande Ginste provide valuable insights.

This project resulted from a recording with Jens Wollenschläger. Martje and Jens recorded Grieg’s Haugtussa in 2022. Closely connected to the score’s editorial team—including editor Sabrina Quintero—this interpretation offers an artistically rich and authentic rendition, fully embedded in the Haugtussa project’s broader vision.