Conductor Leif Segerstam passes away at 80 in Helsinki

Conductor Leif Segerstam passed away today in Helsinki at the age of 80. Biographer Minna Lindgren, who authored a book about Segerstam’s life, described the news as sad but not surprising. “He had been weakening for some time and exceeded all doctors’ expectations for how long he would live. Knowing Segerstam’s views on life and the world, he has not really died but has left us,” Lindgren remarked.

Lindgren shared that Segerstam believed in life after death. She recalled an incident during the writing process when he distractedly noted the buzzing of a fly, jokingly referring to it as his mother coming back to disturb him. Lindgren’s biography, “Leif Segerstam NYT!”, was published in 2005.

Remembered as an exceptionally creative composer, Segerstam was dedicated to practicing, learning, and experimenting. “In his own view, he primarily identified as a composer, and that aspect of his life cannot be forgotten or underestimated. He aimed to minimize the role of the conductor and, in a way, the composer, in order to allow a 100-member symphony orchestra to improvise together without producing cacophony,” she explained.

Lindgren spent two years writing the biography, sifting through an immense amount of material collected by Segerstam’s mother and sister, including even tram tickets. She noted that Segerstam was very open and honest, granting her complete freedom in crafting the book. “He didn’t want it to be a glossed-over version because nobody would believe it. It was a wonderful experience to delve into his life,” she reflected.