Wily Finn Magnus Lindberg

NEXT to Esa-Pekka Salonen, the most visible Finnish classical musician over the last few decades has been his old partner in crime Magnus Lindberg, who is completing a three-year term as composer-in-residence with the New York Philharmonic.

Lindberg is a playful kind of modernist who has recently, as he told me, started to blend his avant-garde tendencies (interest in electronica, industrial music, Japanese drumming, etc.) with the central thrust of the classical tradition.

HERE is my piece from Playbill, which ran when his new piano concerto -- which has some roots in Ravel -- was performed with the New York Phil. (The group was at Walt Disney Concert Hall this week, giving the piece its West Coast premiere. Mark Swed's review is here. That was a show I really regret having missed.)

In any case, Lindberg spoke to me about his roots, his new piece, and his need to flee music and the world itself after its eventual, long-time-coming completion.