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Classical Fire in the Minnesota Cold
The Wall Street Journal|January 16, 2025
The obvious shouldn't always be avoided; sometimes it's even worth embracing. It's the predictable that requires eschewing. And that's how it was in America's most identifiably Scandinavian city this past weekend, where the Minnesota Orchestra opened its first Nordic Soundscapes Festival, which continues through Saturday. It's a celebration of scores by composers from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland that are long and short, grand and intimate, old and new, familiar and largely unknown.
- DAVID MERMELSTEIN
Classical Fire in the Minnesota Cold

Now in his second season as music director here, Thomas Søndergård, a 55-year-old Dane, seems determined to build on the considerable legacy of his esteemed Finnish predecessor, Osmo Vänskä, whose 19-year tenure at the orchestra could be dubbed historic and whose ties to the ensemble, and this city, remain considerable. Mr. Vänskä still lives here-his wife is Erin Keefe, the orchestra's concertmaster since 2011-and he and his successor are on very friendly terms. He has, in fact, been spotted at several of Mr. Søndergård's concerts at Orchestra Hall, including the festival's opening program last Friday. He also attended the festival's sole chamber-music concert, performed by members of the orchestra on Sunday.

That first program, titled "Nordic Landscapes and Portraits" and repeated Saturday, said much about the kind of music-making Mr. Søndergård hopes to foster in the community. He knows that bills of completely unfamiliar fare will almost certainly alienate cautious concert-goers, just as events consisting entirely of overly popular music (Sibelius's Violin Concerto, say) are likely to deter more seasoned and adventurous music lovers. And he split the difference perfectly with this festival.

This story is from the January 16, 2025 edition of The Wall Street Journal.

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This story is from the January 16, 2025 edition of The Wall Street Journal.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

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