Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Winter Wonderland
Photo: Ari Magg and Mikael Svensson
‘A classical music festival that rocks’ Set in unusual as well as traditional venues in the midst of a sparkling ice-cold winter landscape, this is far from your average festival experience. Add artistic direction that throws preconceptions out the door to make for unexpected musical encounters, and you will see why this is an unforgettable music experience. By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Nikolaj Lund
“This year’s theme, Man and Nature, is all about nature and romance in music, yet very topical with sustainability and environmental impact,” says Annika Nordkvist, producer of Dalasinfoniettan and Vinterfest. Kicking off the festival on Thursday 15 February in Mora Church is Concerto for Birds and Orchestra, presenting a bewildering range of musical methods, styles and forms. This year’s programme contains plenty of orchestral music and Dalasinfoniettan, the official orchestra of Dalarna, will get to perform every day. In addition, audiences can enjoy international superstars such as Rosanne Philippens, Ville Matvejeff, Andreas Brantelid and Juho Pohjonen, with exciting appearances from young and talented musicians including Guro Kleven Hagen on violin and Eivind Holtsmark Ringstad on viola. 50 | Issue 107 | December 2017
Vinterfest pushes the boundaries in terms of both venue choices and the musical content. On the Friday evening, for example, an industrial factory will be taken over in a very special concert exploring human psychology with music from three continents as well as dance performances and live video art by students at Dalarna University.
A stubborn artistic director Multi-award-winning Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson has been in charge of putting together the programme for three years now, and it is clear from the way Nordkvist talks about him that he is a stubborn visionary. “He’s in charge of the artistry and I’m in charge of logistics, so it’s my job to tell him when we can’t get a grand piano through the doorway of a given venue,” she laughs. “But that’s also what makes the job so fascinating – that we do work with these odd,
unique spaces in an area that doesn’t get a lot of these experiences. And this year, Víkingur got his way: we’re bringing a grand piano to an old cinema but had to saw a part of the stage off to get it in. So we did. That’s Vinterfest.” Versatility is key, stresses Nordkvist, as is the ambition to present a unique holistic experience for people of all ages. Think everything from a silent, animated film screened to a live score, to classical music performed in a nightclub with beer on tap. “It shouldn’t just be like going to a concert. The environment is different and we’ve considered everything from the transportation to and from the various locations to choreography, lighting and food,” says the producer. “Anything is possible here!”
Vinterfest takes place 15-18 February 2018 in Mora, Orsa and Älvdalen.
Web: www.vinterfest.se Facebook: vinterfest.officiell Instagram: @vinterfest.festival