If you're ever in Oslo, go down to the Aker Brygge (wharf) down by the harbor and check out all the shops and restaurants. Don't worry about it being a touristy kind of place, the locals go there, too. There, at a restaurant called the D/S Louise, is a bronze bust by the artist Per Palle Storm. It depicts the Norwegian musician, author and chef, Kåre Siem. Kåre Siem was Bestefar Strand's nephew, the only son of his sister Elida.
Elida Anthonsen married Sverre Siem in the early 1900s. Sverre was a struggling artist who never made a mark on Norwegian society with his art. However, his surviving works show not only an artistic competence, but a great talent. Among other themes, he painted a large portrait of the Savior which hung in the old LDS chapel at Osterhaugsgaten 27 for nearly a century. (Sverre was not LDS, however the local LDS authorities commissioned this painting as a reminder to critics that we were, indeed, a Christian religion.)
What Sverre lacked in fame and fortune, his son more than made up for. Kåre was born on June 8, 1914, back when Oslo was still being called Kristiania. He became a classical pianist and made his debut in Oslo in 1938. he served as a concert pianist and accompaniest throughout Norway and abroad. He also served as a musical director and conductor in many theatrical productions at the famed Oslo nightclub Chat Noir and also at the Oslo Nye Teater (new theater).
The picture above is taken from the cover of Kåre's recording, Kåre synger viser (RCA, 1961)
Kåre wrote two memoir's, the first, titled "Bingo" (1978) mentions his kind uncle (Einar Strand) in the first chapter. The second, "Klokken Ringer For Meg" or The Bell Tolls For Me, was printed in 1979.
His childhood was in many ways bleak. Indeed, his family struggled to get by. He grew up in the most dismal neighborhood of Oslo, the poverty-stricken area around Lakkegata, on the east side of the Aker river. His kindly Uncle Einar helped support the family through many crises.
The cover of På tokt med Mathilde with Ulf Wengard and Bente More. Together with texts by friends Alf Proysen, Per Asplin and Kari Bremnes, Kåre wrote the music for this children's production (RCA 1962, Polydor, 1976). He became a national celebrity overnight for this TV series.
He accompanied many Scandinavian stars on their record albums. He even appeared with Charlton Heston in the film, The Call of the Wild.
The times I met Kåre, I remember him being a down-to-earth, sweet and kindly man who loved his mother a great deal. He would bring the ailing Elida for visits to Mauritz Hansensgate and would delight his Onkel Einar with gift copies of his latest books and records.
Kåre married a ballet dancer from the Norwegian Opera, Alice Mürer Siem (1925-2002), and worked with her in the theatre. Alice performed with the Ballet Russe in Monte Carlo, and had also danced in New York City. She made many TV appearances. A slim blonde, Alice was a not just an excellent dancer and artist, she was a kind and charming woman. I remember her calling me following the death of my Tante Lillemor (in 1999) to offer her condolences. She was already in an assisted living facility then, and only lived a few more years herself.
Kåre was a big man, who didn't apologize for his size or his appetites. An enthusiastic chef, he authored a cookbook, "Kåre's Nam-Nam Bok" in 1974 (which is exactly what it sounds like in English - a book of good noms!). He won the Brewery Associations title of "Årets ølhund" or, the Year's Beer Hound, in 1975.
Kåre passed away on the 23rd of June, 1986, having left the world a better, more interesting, and certainly a funnier, place.
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