Paavo Berglund

Paavo Berglund (born in Helsinki on April 14, 1929) is a Finnish conductor. Berglund studied the violin and joined the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Finnish RSO) in 1949. He is lefthanded. An exception was made when letting him join the Finnish RSO. One has to sit differently when playing violin lefthanded, not to poke anyone with the bow. He also conducts holding the baton with his left hand.

In 1952, Berglund co-founded the Helsinki CO. He was chief conductor of the Finnish RSO (1962-72) and in 1965 gave Sibelius centenary concerts with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, becoming principal conductor in 1972. He has appeared widely with major orchestras and became musical director of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra in 1975. While working with the Helsinki Philharmonic, Berglund attained notoriety as a conducting dictator due to his ruthless rehearsals and dedication to musical perfection [http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26161 Article was NOT found! ] ] . Berglund is also a member of the Russian National Orchestra's conductor collegium. [cite news | url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1171738,00.html | title=Batons at dawn | publisher="The Guardian" | author=Vadim Prokhorov | date=18 March 2004 | accessdate=2007-09-01]

Berglund is particularly associated with the music of Sibelius, and has recorded the complete Sibelius symphonies three times. He was the first to record the "Kullervo Symphony" [Ottaway, Hugh, Review of HMV recording of "Kullervo" (1971). "The Musical Times", 112 (1544): p. 975.] . Berglund's source-critical research on the Sibelius Seventh Symphony began in 1957, when he conducted the Seventh with the Helsinki Philharmonic, and noticed that they played from parts that Sibelius had corrected. The printed parts, he noticed, had numerous printing errors. His subsequent research was so exacting that it led to the publication of a new edition of the symphony by Hansen in 1980.Siren, Visa, Sibelius - the View from the Podium (1999). "Finnish Music Quarterly", http://www.fmq.fi/articles/ar_1999_1_vs.html ] He has now recorded the work four times.

His work has also influenced other conductors. Sir Simon Rattle said, "Paavo was unbelievably friendly. When he heard that I was in the process of recording Sibelius' symphonies, he grabbed the score and began to shower me with advice. He spent several days helping me. He made thousands of marks on the score. Corrections of printing errors, suggestions for improving the balance, good ideas. I still have them. Did I use them? You think I'm crazy? I used everything!" Rattle adds, "Paavo wants a very unique sound. The brass play very softly and translucently. The strings aren't allowed to use much vibrato. He is one of the great conductors still among us. He gets better year by year and is a very fierce leader." (The interviewer, Vesa Siren, adds that Rattle's own ideals for a string sound in Sibelius differ enormously from Berglund's limited-vibrato sound, being instead "full and lustrous.")

Berglund has also recorded works of Einar Englund and Aulis Sallinen. [Northcott, Bayan, Review of recordings by Finnish composers (Merikanto et al.) (December 1978). "Tempo" (New Ser.), 127: pp. 48-50.] He has also collaborated with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in recordings of the complete symphonies of Johannes Brahms. [cite news | url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/story/0,,734631,00.html | title=Chamber of wonders | publisher="The Guardian" | author=Andrew Clements | date=20 July 2001 | accessdate=2007-09-01]

Berglund's music reached the United States in the 1990s, and he has since become a regular guest conductor in the New York Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra .

Performance History

Awards

Berglund has won a Grammy and a Diapason d'Or .

elected Discography

Haydn: Symphony No. 92 & 99. Finnish Chamber Orchestra. (Ondine)

Nielsen: Symphonies 1-6. Royal Danish Orchestra. (RCA Victor)

Jean Sibelius: Symphonies 1-7, Orchestral Works. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. (EMI)

Jean Sibelius: Symphonies 1-7, Orchestral Works. Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. (EMI)

Jean Sibelius: Symphonies 1-7. Chamber Orchestra of Europe. (Finlandia)

References

External links

* [http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26161 Biography]