The pioneering Elfrida Andrée and Norway’s most recognized composer Edvard Grieg
Midsummer’s Music, Wisconsin’s oldest summer chamber music series presents its fifth week of virtual concerts with Musical Mountains and Fjords, September 2 – 6. Hosted by John Clare, a nationally recognized radio host on Sirius XM and St. Louis-107.3, the program features works of two remarkable Scandinavian composers including the Piano Quintet in E Minor by Sweden’s Elfrida Andrée and the String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor by Norway’s Edvard Grieg. Midsummer’s Music musicians featured on this program include David Perry and Ann Palen (violins), Allyson Fleck (viola), Greg Sauer (cello), and Jeannie Yu (piano). All virtual concerts are free and stream online at midsummersmusic.com, on the Midsummer’s Music Facebook page and YouTube channel, and on The Violin Channel’s Facebook page. Programs are broadcast in two segments, each being approximately 30 minutes.
Andrée was a true pioneer in her native Sweden being among the first female church organists, conductors, and composers in her country. As a woman in her early 20s, she fought with the town council in her hometown to get a regulation overturned prohibiting women from being church organists. Shortly thereafter, she became one of the first women in Sweden to become a telegraph operator. She continued to break glass ceilings the rest of her life, including being inducted into the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1879. Grieg is, without doubt, Norway’s most famous composer. The marriage of Grieg’s great lyrical talent with his interest in – and use of – Norwegian folk literature and song helped create a voice that epitomizes his native land.
Wednesday, September 2, 7:00 pm (CT) and Friday, September 4, 8:00 pm (CT)
Piano Quintet in E Minor by Elfrida Andrée
Thursday, September 3, 7:00 pm (CT) and Saturday, September 5, 8:00 pm (CT)
String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 27, by Edvard Grieg
Sunday, September 6, 3:00 pm (CT)
Andrée’s Piano Quintet and Grieg’s String Quartet, plus musician interviews
Write On, Door County poet Karen Wilson will be featured during the brief intermission.
Midsummer’s Music draws on the extraordinary talent of musicians from the Chicago Symphony, Chicago’s Lyric Opera, Milwaukee Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, Aspen Music Festival, China National Symphony, and the Ravinia Festival, among others. Midsummer’s Music was co- founded in 1990 by Jim and Jean Berkenstock, long-time Door County summer residents and principal orchestral players with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. What began as two concerts among friends has become one of the Midwest’s most anticipated chamber music series, bringing thousands of chamber music enthusiasts from around the globe to the magical Door County Peninsula.
Support from Nicolet National Bank, Stefan & Joan Anderson and Arnie & Judy Widen help to make it possible to provide the Musical Mountains and Fjords concerts at no cost to viewers. The Violin Channel is an Official Media Partner to Midsummer’s Music and its 2020 virtual music season. Midsummer’s Music is a proud recipient of the Wisconsin Arts Board’s CARES Act grant which is made possible with additional CARES Act funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.