In 1958, the state of Minnesota was celebrating its centennial, and decided to commission a symphony in honor of the occasion.

Now, thanks to Garrison Keillor, just about everyone these days knows there are a lot of Norwegians in Minnesota, but even back in 1958, that was still fairly obvious, and so it seemed a good idea to ask a Norwegian composer to write a “Minnesota Symphony.”

And who better than Harald Saeverud, one of the most distinguished composers of that day, and a composer who had just been granted Norwegian knighthood in the order of Saint Olaf, first-class.

Nor was Saeverud new to the symphony-writing game. His “Minnesota Symphony” was his Symphony No. 8. Its premiere performance occurred at Northrop Auditorium in Minneapolis on today’s date in 1958, with the Minneapolis Symphony led by Antal Dorati. The capacity audience of 4000 gave Saeverud and his symphony a warm welcome.

For his part, Saeverud was equally gracious, and suggested his “Minnesota Symphony” was meant to be not only an occasional piece, celebrating the settlement and growth of a Midwestern American state, but music intended to have more universal significance:

“My whole life has been a preparation for writing this work,” he stated. “With the map of Minnesota above my desk and with all my thoughts and feelings concentrated on Minnesota’s history, I dived into the work, which proved increasingly fascinating as I became aware that it was simultaneously growing into a history of mankind.”