Ståle Kleiberg

About Ståle Kleiberg

Ståle Kleiberg is a major Norwegian composer with a considerable international reputation. His music is widely performed, and he receives commissions from well-established orchestras, ensembles and performers. Many recordings of his music have been released to outstanding international reviews, with several receiving Grammy nominations.

Kleiberg’s music is characterized by a distinctive form of extended tonality and by meticulous attention to coloristic details. This is especially evident in his orchestral works, including his three symphonies. The most recent, Across the Ocean towards a Higher Firmament, was commissioned by the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and premiered in 2025. A television production of the work was broadcast by NRK the same year. The work will be released in 2026 on an album featuring three of Kleiberg’s orchestral works. His orchestral output also includes several concertos, five of which have been released on two albums, including the Grammy-nominated Treble & Bass: Concertos by Ståle Kleiberg.

Kleiberg’s works in the genres of oratorio and opera constitute an important part of his output. Mass for Modern Man is his most recent work in the genre. It had its Norwegian premiere in Trondheim’s Nidaros Cathedral in 2015, followed by its German premiere later that year at Münchner Dom. The work was commissioned by the Münchner Dommusik. The opera David and Bathsheba was highly acclaimed after its première in Nidaros Cathedral in 2008 and has subsequently been performed in several countries. 2L’s recording of the work was nominated for a Grammy in the category Best Opera Recording. Requiem – for the victims of Nazi persecution is one of Kleiberg’s most frequently performed works. Following its premiere in Nidaros Cathedral, it was performed in Washington National Cathedral on 11 September 2004 and recorded on CD with the Washington National Cathedral Choir and Orchestra. It has also been broadcast nationally in the US and has received numerous international performances. Kleiberg’s Requiem is his principal work dealing with this subject matter, alongside the orchestral work Lamento: Cissi Klein in memoriam and the cello concerto Dopo.

Kleiberg’s innovative approach, formal command and technical mastery are particularly apparent in his chamber music. A selection of six chamber works was featured on the 2015 album Mezzotints – Chamber Music by Ståle Kleiberg followed by the album Do You Believe in Heather? in 2019.

Ståle Kleiberg is Professor emeritus of Music at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).