John Storgårds, conductor
Pekka Kuusisto, violin

Outi TARKIAINEN Midnight Sun Variations
NIELSEN Violin Concerto
SIBELIUS The Oceanides and The Bard
SIBELIUS Tapiola

Finnish conductor John Storgårds leads the first of two BSO concerts in the Music of the Midnight Sun Festival, an exploration of Nordic music and storytelling. Finnish composer Outi Tarkiainen’s nuanced and colorful Midnight Sun Variations transports you to her homeland and is in many ways is a worthy successor to the vivid soundscapes of her compatriot Jean Sibelius. Three of the composer’s tone poems based on Finnish legend are performed here, their moods ranging from sweeping power to contemplative mystery. These concerts also feature established Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto in his BSO debut in the orchestra’s first-ever performances of the great Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s 1911 Violin Concerto.