Magnus Synnestvedt

Musical Tastes, Cultural Diplomacy, and the Parisian Avant-Garde, 1902-08

Abstract

During the Belle Epoque, the French public was increasingly drawn to Nordic music as well as art and theater. Magnus Synnestvedt (1879–1947), a young lawyer whose father served as the Norwegian vice-consul in Paris and who himself worked for the Swedish and Norwegian legations there, was ideal to serve as an ambassador between French and Scandinavian culture. He translated the poetry of the Swedish king and patronized many Swedish musicians. After Norway declared its independence, Magnus became a major advocate for Norwegian culture in Paris.

This article, based on the concerts Synnestvedt attended from 1902-1908 and the reviews of art and music he published in the French and Norwegian press, document both the presence of Nordic musgiven their needic in Paris and his diverse musical tastes. A man of paradox with a willingness to evolve in his musical tastes as well as his politics, Synnestvedt embraced not only the music of Schumann, Wagner, and Franck, but also, increasingly, that of the Russian Five and French avant-garde, especially Debussy and Ravel. In their music, he found what he also admired in certain Nordic art and music, that is, a love of freedom and independence as well as a fascination with indigenous folk songs as a source of artistic renewal. His passionate idealism helped bridge the cultural differences between Scandinavia and France.