Music Defies Borders at Baltic Sea Fest
Nordic Reach › Vol. XVII Nbr. 10, September 2004 › News
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Summary
Is the great Russian composer Shostakovich the sole property of Russia? Is it possible for Swedes or Americans to fully appreciate the subtle beauty of Finland's Sibelius? Classical music is, of course, a universal language accessible to everyone. This was eloquently demonstrated at the second annual Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm this fall, as Finnish-born Esa-Pekka Salonen garnered four curtain calls for his interpretation of "Firebird" by Stravinsky. Thereafter, Russian conductor Valery Gergiev wowed the Swedish crowd at Berwaldhallen with a passionate performance of Symphony No. 1 by Sibelius.
The Baltic Sea Festival was initiated by Esa-Pekka Salonen, music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the past twelve years. Salonen is widely credited with giving his adopted Californian city a prominent place on the international map of classical music. The orchestra he leads is currently enjoying its new home in the sophisticated new Wait Disney Concert Hall, designed by Frank Gehry. Unlike most of his conducting contemporaries, Salonen is also a highly regarded and prolific composer, writing for both orchestras and ensembles; two of his notable compositions are L.A. Variations and the powerful work, Insomnia. More recently, Salonen composed Wing on Wing, a work which was inspired by the striking new Wait Disney Concert Hall.Scandinavian editor David Bartal, himself a native of Los Angeles, caught up with Salonen at the Baltic Sea Festival in August, a four-day series of concerts by celebrated orchestras, conductors, and soloists. The Stockholmbased festival is designed to promote unity and ecological awareness among the countries in the Baltic Sea region. Our editor chatted with Esa-Pekka about his ambitions for the festival, the environment and his taste in rock music.See the full content of this document
Extract
Music Defies Borders at Baltic Sea Fest
Is the great Russian composer Shostakovich the sole property of Russia? Is it possible for Swedes or Americans to fully appreciate the subtle beauty of Finland's Sibelius? Classical music is, of course, a universal language accessible to everyone. This was eloquently demonstrated at the second a...
See the full content of this document
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