Haydn-Orchester / Sarah Christian / Rida Murtada

Sarah Christian Antonio Vivaldi

Birdsong, trickling streams, rainy weather, barking dogs, and frozen landscapes. These are just some of the natural phenomena Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) describes in the violin concertos The Four Seasons, first published in 1725.Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice and spent most of his life there. He was a renowned music teacher, opera composer, and, not least, one of the best violinists of his time. He wrote several hundred concertos, over 200 of which were for his own instrument.The Four Seasons was released along four poems telling what the concertos describe. Spring is characterized by birdsong, flowering meadows and happy spring dancing. Summer opens with more bids - not least the cuckoo - and oppressive heat followed by thunderstorms. Autumn begins with the farmers celebrating the harvest with song and dance before hunting in the third movement. Winter opens with an icy wind, and then it’s cozy in front of the fireplace while it is raining in the second movement. In the final movement, we end up on the ice.The Four Seasons was Vivaldi’s greatest success. Gradually, his popularity declined, and after his death, his music was little played. Interest flourished in the 20th century, and since the Second World War, The Four Seasons has been among the most popular classical music.

Sarah Christian Antonio Vivaldi

Birdsong, trickling streams, rainy weather, barking dogs, and frozen landscapes. These are just some of the natural phenomena Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) describes in the violin concertos The Four Seasons, first published in 1725.Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice and spent most of his life there. He was a renowned music teacher, opera composer, and, not least, one of the best violinists of his time. He wrote several hundred concertos, over 200 of which were for his own instrument.The Four Seasons was released along four poems telling what the concertos describe. Spring is characterized by birdsong, flowering meadows and happy spring dancing. Summer opens with more bids - not least the cuckoo - and oppressive heat followed by thunderstorms. Autumn begins with the farmers celebrating the harvest with song and dance before hunting in the third movement. Winter opens with an icy wind, and then it’s cozy in front of the fireplace while it is raining in the second movement. In the final movement, we end up on the ice.The Four Seasons was Vivaldi’s greatest success. Gradually, his popularity declined, and after his death, his music was little played. Interest flourished in the 20th century, and since the Second World War, The Four Seasons has been among the most popular classical music.

Haydn-Orchester Hamburg / Mathias Weber / Rida Murtada

The Haydn-Orchester Hamburg is regarded as one of northern Germany’s top amateur orchestras. Founded in 1977, Rida Murtada has occupied the position of musical director since 2003. The orchestra performs biannually at the Laeiszhalle.

Christian Thielemann

Bruckner would not write the Fifth Symphony again “even for one thousand guilders”. He had struggled with the work for two and a half years, improving it in small details and revising large sections, such as in the Finale, multiple times. Compared to some of his other symphonies, there is only one version of the Fifth authorized by Bruckner himself. And although he desperately wanted to hear this work in the grand setting of a concert hall, his wish was never fulfilled. Christian Thielemann, an internationally recognized specialist for the German Romantic repertoire, will emphasize the work’s monumental character.

Christian Thielemann

Bruckner would not write the Fifth Symphony again “even for one thousand guilders”. He had struggled with the work for two and a half years, improving it in small details and revising large sections, such as in the Finale, multiple times. Compared to some of his other symphonies, there is only one version of the Fifth authorized by Bruckner himself. And although he desperately wanted to hear this work in the grand setting of a concert hall, his wish was never fulfilled. Christian Thielemann, an internationally recognized specialist for the German Romantic repertoire, will emphasize the work’s monumental character.

Christian Thielemann

Bruckner would not write the Fifth Symphony again “even for one thousand guilders”. He had struggled with the work for two and a half years, improving it in small details and revising large sections, such as in the Finale, multiple times. Compared to some of his other symphonies, there is only one version of the Fifth authorized by Bruckner himself. And although he desperately wanted to hear this work in the grand setting of a concert hall, his wish was never fulfilled. Christian Thielemann, an internationally recognized specialist for the German Romantic repertoire, will emphasize the work’s monumental character.

Christian Thielemann

Bruckner would not write the Fifth Symphony again “even for one thousand guilders”. He had struggled with the work for two and a half years, improving it in small details and revising large sections, such as in the Finale, multiple times. Compared to some of his other symphonies, there is only one version of the Fifth authorized by Bruckner himself. And although he desperately wanted to hear this work in the grand setting of a concert hall, his wish was never fulfilled. Christian Thielemann, an internationally recognized specialist for the German Romantic repertoire, will emphasize the work’s monumental character.

Haydn Mahler

Haydn Mahler

Haydn and Dvorák

Due to illness, cellist Amalie Stalheim has been forced to cancel. This also results in a programme change for tonight's concert. Instead of Grażyna Bacewicz’s First Cello Concerto, we will hear the German cellist Julian Steckel perform Haydn’s First Cello Concerto.The seas, lakes, streams, and rivers have always been important sources of inspiration for artists, poets, and composers. In Smetana's famous Moldau, celebrating its 200th anniversary, we hear how the bubbling smaller streams meander through the landscape before merging into the mighty river. The melody comes from an old folk song that we recognize as Ack Värmeland, du sköna. Perhaps Smetana heard the melody when he was working as a conductor in Gothenburg in the 1850s?Like Smetana, Antonín Dvorák was from Czechia. In both their music, Czech culture and nature are important ingredients. Dvorák had great international success during his lifetime and was appointed, for example, as a composition professor in New York. His Symphony No. 9, "From the New World", is the most famous, but many consider his seventh symphony to be one of his very best works.Julian Steckel steps in at the last minute as the soloist in a true classic: Joseph Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major – a masterpiece that disappeared and was rediscovered almost 200 years later, in the mid-20th century (incidentally, in Prague, which adds a Czech connection to the programme). The renowned German cellist Julian Steckel is admired for his emotional depth and communication with audiences. His career took off after winning the ARD Music Competition in 2010, and since then, he has performed with many of the world's leading orchestras.The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by German conductor Ruth Reinhardt – currently involved in the Royal Swedish Opera's production of Verdi's La traviata in spring 2024. She made her debut with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at a summer concert in 2018.