By Alister Doyle
OSLO, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Norway's opera chief on Wednesday blasted a planned Nobel Peace Prize concert as a ``cultural scandal'' for including foreign pop stars like Elton John and the Cranberries ahead of Nordic artists.
Bjoern Simensen said guardians of the prize, to be awarded on December 10 to Northern Ireland politicians John Hume and David Trimble, were allowing tawdry commercialism and television ratings to cheapen the award.
He said the December 11 Nobel concert would be a ``cultural scandal'' for plugging foreign pop stars and all but ignoring the Nordic roots of the prize, set up by 19th century Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel.
``They should use another concept that would give more emphasis to Norwegian and Nordic culture,'' Simensen, head of the Norwegian opera, told Reuters.
``This will be just another international concert. I do not think this would have happened in Sweden, or France, or Germany or Italy, in nations which are more proud of their cultural heritage,'' he said.
British rock star Phil Collins, Canadian singer Alanis Morissette and Irish rock band the Cranberries are included in the Nobel line-up along with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and Irish flautist James Galway. Elton John will appear by video.
Norwegian rock band A-ha and pop singer Espen Lind, a Norwegian orchestra and a boys' choir will be the Norwegian contribution.
Norway's most famous classical composer was Edvard Grieg, with Swedish supergroup ABBA the top modern Nordic pop success. Simensen said the Nordic region also had some of the best opera singers in the world.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute rejected Simensen's criticisms, saying peace was international and that the concert was unlikely to attract foreigners if it comprised only Norwegian artists.
``The criticism is unfair,'' institute director Geir Lundestad told Reuters, adding that there was a ``very significant'' Norwegian participation.
``When we celebrate peace this has to be global...It would be a mistake to make this a largely Norwegian concert,'' he said, adding that African and Asian artists would also take part.
Catholic leader Hume and Protestant Trimble are sharing the 1998 award, worth 7.6 million Swedish crowns ($970,000) as architects of the Northern Ireland peace deal.
Lundestad said the concert, the fifth since the idea was launched in 1994, would be beamed to television audiences in a record of more than 100 countries.
The 1997 concert was the first big popular success and included singers Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, Jewel and Emmylou Harris. ``We've tried different formats,'' he said. ``In 1995 we had a classical concert.''
Simensen said the Nobel Committee should follow the example of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, where the widely-praised opening ceremony was purely Norwegian.
Reuters/Variety