Dr. Theresa Bogard, an internationally renowned pianist, will be featured in the second piece for "Nordic Drama." (Photo: Courtesy)
The concert will feature two parts. The first is the Finnish Sibelius’ “Finlandia”, a popular work telling the story of the Finnish people fighting against the oppression of the Czarist Russian forces.
Dr. Theresa Bogard, chair of the UW music department, is the featured piano soloist for the more cheerful tune, the Ravel Piano Concerto, which displays notes of French-influenced joviality and will also exhibit the talents of some of the UW symphony members.
Bogard is an internationally renowned pianist who has performed pieces in countries all over the world including New Zealand, Indonesia and Korea.
Danish Maestro Peter Ettrup Larsen will conduct the work of fellow Dane Carl Nielsen for the closing piece of the concert. Nielsen’s music is not widely known in the United States but is popular in Northern Europe.
“I am excited for the chance to bring Nielsen’s music to the U.S. with its visual quality and connection to my home,” Larsen said.
The Nielsen piece, “The Four Temperaments,” is based on the depiction of the four medieval humours of choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic.
The Nordic theme of the concert is a rarity, as “the music department has not held a Nordic-themed concert for as long as I can remember,” Dr. Michael Griffith, director of orchestral activities, said.
Maestro Peter Ettrup Larsen will act as guest conductor for the final piece of the University of Wyoming's production "Nordic Drama." The UW Symphony will perform "Nordic Drama" Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Concert Hall. (Photo: Courtesy)
Larsen is looking forward to the concert for both professional and personal reasons.
“I am originally from Denmark but live in Finland, so all the pieces of music are close to me and my home,” Larsen said.
This concert is the second in the semester after the UW symphony’s opening night, and the ranks of the group seem to be filling out.
“This semester is off to a great start, recruitment is up, and we are very excited for the Nordic-themed concert,” Griffith said.
