John Storgårds

John Storgårds is a Finnish conductor and violinist who leads orchestras across Europe and North America. He came to conducting after a career as a concert violinist, and he is particularly associated with Nordic composers such as Sibelius and Nielsen. Listeners can expect a program leader with a clear sense of structure and drama, here bringing Russian orchestral color to St. Louis with Rachmaninoff, Glazunov, and Mussorgsky.

Storgårds tends to favor performances with sharp rhythmic profile and clear inner voices, rather than a blurred wash of sound. In Rachmaninoff's "The Isle of the Dead," listen for how he lets the constant rocking rhythm, meant to suggest oars on water, build slowly in tension without rushing. In the Glazunov concerto, expect close attention to the soloist, since Storgårds is himself a trained violinist and tends to shape orchestral accompaniment as a genuine partner rather than backdrop. Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition," heard here in its familiar orchestral dress, gives him a chance to move between the piece's contrasting scenes, from the lumbering "Bydlo" to the ceremonial "Great Gate of Kiev," with distinct color and pacing for each. Audiences who know his recordings of Nielsen and Sibelius may notice similar qualities here: unforced climaxes and a preference for letting the music's structure speak clearly.

Storgårds was born in Helsinki in 1963 and trained first as a violinist, studying with Chaim Taub among others, before building a career as a soloist and chamber musician. He later moved into conducting, studying with Jorma Panula, a teacher associated with many prominent Finnish conductors. Over his career he has held chief conductor posts with orchestras including the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic, and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. He has also served as artistic director of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. He is known internationally for performances and recordings of Nordic repertoire, particularly the symphonies of Jean Sibelius and Carl Nielsen, and he appears regularly as a guest conductor with major orchestras in Europe and the United States.