Leif Ove Andsnes enchants Seattle
- Lori Ann Reinhall
- Jan 24
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 27
An evening of people-to-people musical diplomacy
When Bergen-based classical pianist Leif Ove Andsnes toured the United States in the spring of 2025, he expressed concern about the cultural political situation and its effect on cultural life in an interview with the Norwegian news agency NTB.
“I am very saddened to see how concerned my American friends have become about the political situation in their home country. And as a Norwegian and a European, I am concerned that the current American leadership is apparently turning its back on longstanding friends in Europe and the rest of the world.”
Unlike some other top European performers, he had chosen not to cancel his U.S. tour. When his interview was published, it unleashed a series of comments, both positive and negative. Political polarization exists on both sides of the Atlantic, but the support for Andsnes outweighed any criticism.
Now in 2026, the superstar Norwegian pianist is back on this side of the Atlantic. On Jan. 23, he made a stop at Seattle’s Meany Performing Center for the Arts on the University of Washington campus.
The Norwegian-American community here did not want to miss out on the opportunity to hear him perform and to show support for transatlantic relations and cultural exchange. A group of 16 Norwegian-American music lovers was organized by Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association President Lori Ann Reinhall and Mari-Ann Kind Jackson, aficionado of all things Norwegian. Among them were members of the local "Norske kvinner" group.
That evening, Andsnes showed his audience what it means to be a world-class pianist at the top of his game. He presented an eclectic program featuring works by Robert Schumann (1810–1858), Leoš Janáček (1854–1928) and György Kurtág (b.1926). Schumann is, of course, part of the standard classical repertory, while Janáček and Kurtág, both highly in the world of classical music, are not household names in the United States. It became an evening of musical discovery and delight.
The latter two composers were influenced by the folk music of their respective homelands, yet their music is highly original, characterized by unconventional harmony and compact musical structures. Janáček hailed from Moravia, now the Czech Republic, and Kurtág, today one of Hungary's most esteemed composers, was born in a region of Romania previously under Hungarian rule.
From Kurtág, Andsnes chose selections from Játékok, an ongoing collection of "pedagogical performance pieces," followed by selections from Janáček's On the Overgrown Path. In both cases, a high level of virtuosity is demanded to perform musical segments or aphorisms, which, while extremely brief, feel complete. For this reason, they are often described as musical "micro-worlds". And that evening at Meany Hall, Andsnes proved that he was more than up to the task.
Throughout his performance, the Norwegian held his audience mesmerized with his flawless technique and sensitive interpretation of all three composers. With this demanding program, it was especially gratifying that the entire audience could watch his hands at work with a screen projection of them over the piano. It was an all-encompassing musical experience.
It made musical sense to frame the program with the works by Schumann, opening with Klavierstücke, Op. 32. While equally impressive as the Janáček and Kurtág, the final piece, Carnaval, Op. 9, provided some relaxation from the intensity built up over the evening. The more melodic structures of the German Romantic composer brought a harmonic resolution to the evening of music that had just flown by.
Andsnes was greeted with thunderous applause and a standing ovation. He rewarded the audience with a Chopin encore, another demonstration of his wizardry at the keyboard. He was rewarded with another round of roaring applause and a final standing ovation.
Afterward, Kind Jackson said, "It was absolutely thrilling!"
But the excitement of the evening was not over for the newly founded Norwegian-American fan club. They were invited to a meet-and-greet the the evening’s musical hero outside the concert hall greenroom.
“Thank you for coming,” Reinhall said on behalf of everyone. “It means so much to us. Your music brought us both enjoyment and transcendence in a difficult time.”
After the evening's tour-de-force performance, Andsnes could relax. He was friendly in a down-to-earth way. He talked about his current tour and reminisced about earlier performances in Seattle.
One of his fondest memories was a reception held in his honor by the Karmøy Club. The musician shared that he grew up in Karmøy before he moved to Bergen, so there was a strong connection there, too. He was happy to hear that that the club still exists, but most of all he remembered the fishcakes.
“They served the most delicious fishcakes I have ever had,” he said.
To his surprise, he got to meet Anne-Lise Berger, whose catering business had provided the delicacies back in the day. He then learned a bit about the rest of the entourage, whose members come from all parts of Norway.
Reinhall then presented a thank-you gift to Andsnes on behalf of the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association.
“You may think it a little strange that this gift was made in Norway,” she said, “but I think you will understand why we chose it. It is a ribbon and pin made for the Norwegian-American bicentennial commemoration by the silversmiths at Sylvsmidja, our friends and partners in Voss. The ship Restauration on the pin symbolizes 200 years of organized Norway emigration to the United States, a bond we hope will never be broken.”
Finally, there were photos. The group had positioned themselves on a staircase, and everyone was all smiles. It had been a meaningful and memorable evening. Seattle looks forward to welcoming the Norwegian virtuoso and cultural ambassador back soon.
Enjoy the virtuosity of Leif Ove Andsnes with a recent recording of Anton Dvorák's "Poetic Tone Pictures, Op. 85: VII":
