Rune Bergmann, conductor

Jean Sibelius: Finlandia
Vincent Ho: Earthbeat (Saturday only)
Edvard Grieg: Norwegian Dances
Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 “The Inextinguishable”

Photo: Kristin Hoebermann.

Sometimes, the guest artist dictates the program… and that is precisely the case in this concert of Scandinavian greats led by Norwegian conductor Rune Bergmann.

Jean Sibelius’ Finlandia is a symphonic mega-hit emblematic of the nationalism so often found in his music.

The Norwegian Dances by Edvard Grieg are athletic, boisterous, and charming folk-inspired numbers that will surely get everyone feeling the groove.

Like his contemporary Gustav Mahler, Carl Nielsen of Denmark was both a great symphonic conductor and a great symphonic composer. Written during the First World War and dubbed “The Inextinguishable,” Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4 is a powerful and grand work, expressive of the indomitable human spirit.

(Saturday only) To round out the program, a musical trip to Canada with the music of Vincent Ho, with whom Rune Bergmann worked closely at the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. A name that may also be familiar to Winnipeggers, Ho previously served as WSO’s Composer-in-Residence.