Program
SVENDSEN Norwegian Artists’ Carnival, Op. 14
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39
RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30
Featured Artists
Rune Bergmann, conductor
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
Description
Towering and effervescent, Rune Bergmann leads a program infused with Nordic spirit, crowned by one of the greatest and most beloved works for piano ever written. Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto, performed by the legendary Garrick Ohlsson, is renowned for its soaring Romantic spirit and fearsome technical demands. Ohlsson, whose father emigrated from Sweden after World War II, is just the virtuoso to tackle the wiles of this Romantic masterpiece which remains an audience favorite and an idyllic showcase for any pianist.
Johan Svendsen’s Norwegian Artists’ Carnival is a joyful, folk-infused overture that shines all the more with Bergmann’s Norwegian roots and infectious enthusiasm. Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’s First Symphony deepens the Nordic landscape with one of the most arresting openings in symphonic music. A hushed, rumbling timpani emerges from the silence before a lone clarinet unfurls a haunting melody — a theme that becomes the structural seed from which the entire symphony grows. Bergmann’s innate feel for this repertoire brings both tension and lyricism into sharp focus, guiding listeners through Sibelius’s brooding atmosphere and sweeping emotional terrain.
Prelude & Talkback: Join us before and after select concerts to dive deeper into the music or take a peak behind the curtain. Check back for exact details about this concert.
