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As the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival gets set to take over the Exchange District from July 16 to 27, we’re getting into the theatrical spirit here at Classic 107—with a Scandinavian twist.
All this week, from Monday, July 14 through Friday, July 18, join us in the 1 p.m. hour for a curated selection of incidental music by some of the greatest Scandinavian composers. These dramatic suites were originally written to accompany plays—enhancing mood, tension, and narrative with every note. Now, they stand alone as captivating orchestral works, perfect for a midday musical escape.
This programming is our little nod to the world of theatre in honour of the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, one of the largest and most beloved independent theatre festivals in North America. With over 100 companies performing in more than 30 venues, the Fringe is a whirlwind of creativity, comedy, tragedy, and everything in between—and we’re celebrating with music that shares that same theatrical flair.
🎭 The Playlist: July 14–18 at 1 p.m.
🗓 Monday, July 14
🎶 Johann Halvorsen – “Fossgrimen” Suite
🎻 Performed by: Bergen Philharmonic | Conductor: Neeme Järvi
This suite is drawn from Halvorsen’s 1905 incidental music to Fossgrimen, a play rooted in Norwegian folklore. The "Fossgrimen" is a water spirit known for playing the fiddle so beautifully that he could teach humans—if paid properly, of course. Halvorsen, a master of colour and melody, blends rustic dance rhythms with shimmering impressionistic textures to bring this mythical tale to life.
🗓 Tuesday, July 15
🎶 Edvard Grieg – Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 & 2
🎻 Performed by: San Francisco Symphony | Conductor: Herbert Blomstedt
Perhaps the most famous Scandinavian incidental music of all time, Grieg's music for Henrik Ibsen’s 1867 play Peer Gynt includes unforgettable movements like “Morning Mood” and “In the Hall of the Mountain King.” These suites distill the essence of Ibsen’s wandering anti-hero and his surreal journey from Norway to North Africa and back again.
🗓 Wednesday, July 16
🎶 Jean Sibelius – The Tempest Suite No. 1
🎻 Performed by: Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra | Conductor: Neeme Järvi
Sibelius composed this richly atmospheric music in 1925 for a staging of Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Copenhagen. His score captures both the play’s dramatic storm and its quiet magic, from Prospero’s brooding authority to Ariel’s delicate flights. It’s one of Sibelius’ most cinematic creations, conjuring the supernatural world of Shakespeare with Nordic mystique.
🗓 Thursday, July 17
🎶 Johann Halvorsen – Masquerade Suite
🎻 Performed by: Bergen Philharmonic | Conductor: Neeme Järvi
Based on Ludvig Holberg’s 1724 Danish comedy Masquerade, this playful and stylish suite bubbles with rococo charm and sly humour. Halvorsen channels the elegance and wit of the 18th-century theatre scene, using dance forms like the minuet and gavotte to transport listeners to a world of intrigue, mistaken identities, and masked romance.
🗓 Friday, July 18
🎶 Jean Sibelius – Pelléas et Mélisande Suite
🎻 Performed by: Iceland Symphony Orchestra | Conductor: Petri Sakari
This suite, adapted from Sibelius’ 1905 incidental music for Maeterlinck’s Pelléas et Mélisande, paints a portrait of doomed love and brooding mystery. Like Debussy’s operatic version of the same play, Sibelius taps into the emotional undercurrents and tragic beauty of this Symbolist drama—but with the cool restraint and melancholic soul of the far north.
So whether you’re gearing up for an evening at the Fringe, or just craving a dose of dramatic Nordic flair, tune in to Classic 107 at 1 p.m. daily for five musical journeys into theatre, myth, and magic.
Because who says only the stage gets to steal the spotlight?