Snow Queen-the Ballet Suite

With the Snow Queen the Finnish National Ballet scored a hit. This success was due not only to Andersen's wonderful story and it's brilliant staging but also to the music of composer Tuomas Kantelinen. He says he wanted 'to write music that is melodic, beautiful and accessible, as it's principal function is to put viewers of all ages into a cheerful Christmas mood. It is a deliberate nod towards the tradition of Christmas ballets for the whole family, such as Nutcracker. I had a great deal of fun creating character dance pastiches that illustrate the conceptions that people have of the musical styles of various countries.'