Sibelius Hero, Beethoven Resplendent

Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård conducts the OSM in a concert both lyrical and heroic, steeped in the notion of freedom. In his Third Piano Concerto performed here by Yefim Bronfman, Beethoven lets his bright side shine and his musical discourse run free while he deftly balances the forces of the piano and the orchestra. On a more nationalistic scale, Finland gained its independence just as Sibelius was reworking his Symphony no. 5, which literally bursts with heroism. Also on this program: the world premiere of a work by Canadian composer Dorothy Chang, inspired by our planet’s shifting dynamics of destruction and healing.