Orpheus’ Treasure Trove – Fretted and Catchy

Orpheus’ Treasure Trove – A baroque christmas greeting

Christmas is the season of music! Orfeus Treasure Chamber is visited by the Italian baroque specialist, organist, and harpsichordist Luca Guglielmi in a program centered around Christmas. The program includes reconstructed trio sonatas by Johann Sebastian Bach, a type of compositions destroyed in a fire in Weimar in 1714, when many works from this important period of his creativity were lost. Also featured is music by Arcangelo Corelli, a truly central figure in the musical life of Rome during his time, who refined and popularized the trio sonata and the concerto grosso format.Since its founding in 2015, Orpheo Baroque has become an indispensable part of the capital's music scene and a meeting place for both the musicians of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and some of Sweden's leading freelance baroque musicians. The ensemble's more chamber music-oriented approach, as we encounter here, emerges under the banner of Orpheus' Treasure Trove.Each concert with Orpheus Baroque is led by guest top musicians in early music, and here we once again encounter the Italian organist and harpsichordist Luca Guglielmi, one of the world's foremost experts in early music.

Orpheus' Treasure Trove – Cantabile!

In the early decades of the 18th century, a new trend emerged where beautiful arias were accompanied by a violin or a cello. Here, we get to enjoy exquisite singing and captivating instrumental music with the great Swedish soprano Maria Keohane.Some of the composers who embraced the new style were Alessandro Scarlatti, Antonio Caldara, Giovanni Bononcini, and Nicola Porpora – the latter, in addition to writing over 50 operas and numerous other compositions, also taught several renowned singers, including the castrato Farinelli.Since its establishment in 2015, Orpheus Baroque Stockholm has become an indispensable part of the capital's music scene and a meeting place for both philharmonic musicians and some of Sweden's leading freelance baroque musicians.The artistic directors are the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's solo cellist Johannes Rostamo and the lutenist Jonas Nordberg. The ensemble's more chamber music-oriented approach, as we encounter here, is presented under the banner of Orpheus’ Treasure Trove.

Orpheus Baroque – Queen Christina here and there

Queen Christina made a strong mark on the cultural life of both 17th-century Stockholm and her new home city of Rome – after abdicating the throne and converting to Catholicism. Orpheus Baroque follows in her footsteps with music by Gustav Düben the elder, who was the court kapellmeister in Stockholm and a significant figure in the city's musical life, as well as French and Italian greats such as Lully, Carissimi, Stradella, and Corelli.Orpheus Baroque Stockholm primarily consists of members of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. In just under ten years, the ensemble has become a dynamic and creative meeting place not only for philharmonic musicians with expertise in early music but also for many other leading baroque musicians in Sweden. The artistic directors are Johannes Rostamo, solo cellist of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and the lutenist Jonas Nordberg.Orpheus Baroque's highly popular concerts feature thematic programs and collaborations with invited top musicians from the international baroque music scene. This concert is led by the French-Italian baroque violinist Emmanuel Resche-Caserta.

Reverie and Rapture

Växjö-based Musica Vitae joins us accompanied by the British violinist and conductor Hugo Ticciati, who is active in Sweden. He founded the O/Modernt festival in 2011, known for its innovative and cross-genre programming, which also characterizes his concert with Musica Vitae.The first part of the concert presents music infused with religious reverie. We hear the mysticism of Hildegard of Bingen in Vos flores rosarum and wordless violin song in Arvo Pärt's Fratres. Additionally, two meditations on the theme of the suffering mother: John Tavener's Mother of God, Here I Stand from The Veil of the Temple, and Lera Auerbach's Sogno di Stabat Mater (Dream of Stabat Mater). After the interval, the mood shifts from spiritual contemplation to exalted rapture. In the enigmatically dancing Aksak and Ciphers, Swedish composer Albert Schnelzer has encoded both Brahms and family members in the score. This is followed by a musical dialogue between Philip Glass's baroque-inspired Symphony No. 3 and three arrangements of songs from the iconic grunge rock band Nirvana's album Nevermind. Bridging the gap between the baroque and contemporary rock music is Purcell’s Cold Song from his semi-opera The Fairy-Queen.

Soup with winds and percussion

Two wind players and a percussionist from the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, together with a guesting wind player and percussionist, present music ranging from Monteverdi to Joakim Agnas, who is the orchestra's principal trumpeter and also a composer.In between, there’s a wide variety of pieces, including Swedish Lisa Streich’s Apelsin (Streich was the focus of Konserthuset’s Composer Weekend Festival this spring), a trio by Poulenc, as well as a special arrangement of Mozart’s famous variations on Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. A great American composers also feature: the inventive Charles Ives, with From the Steeples and the Mountains.In addition to Joakim Agnas, the concert features Karl Frisendahl, principal trombonist, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra's timpanist Anders Haag, and guest trumpeter Jonas Lindeborg and percussionist Ulf Ewasson Liliansdotter.***Menu: Creamy tomato soup with basil. The soup is served with sourdough bread, crispbread, butter, mineral water/light beer, coffee/tea, and a piece of chocolate. Wine and beer available for purchase for those who wish.All soups are lactose- and gluten-free. Please inform us of any dietary requirements when booking.

Max Volbers "Dance and Firework"

Max Volbers, a recorder virtuoso, studied under Dorothee Oberlinger. He plays a variety of recorders, calling them the "Flauto Dolce" family. His colorful programs, often with his own arrangements, are performed with harpsichordist Alexander von Heißen. A post-concert artist talk with Daniel Finkernagel is included. Registration is required for the "Sunday Matinee Plus" for seniors.

Anna Prohaska and Julius Drake: Paradise Lost

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

Guest performance Renowned Concertos for Horn, Trumpet and Orchestra

Klaus Mäkelä and Janine Jansen with the Concertgebouw Orchestra

Conductor Klaus Mäkelä says that a concert is like a journey through time. The composers featured on this programme were clearly inspired by older music. Robert Schumann had just suffered a nervous breakdown when he wrote his Second Symphony, a work in which he documents his recovery and overtly draws on the music of Bach, Haydn and Beethoven.Benjamin Britten’s music, in which the influence of older English masters is always palpable, is also in dialogue with the past. His Violin Concerto juxtaposes tradition with present-day circumstances: the year was 1939, and the threat of war imminent. With her extraordinary aptitude for capturing mood and atmosphere, violinist Janine Jansen is the perfect interpreter.Klaus Mäkelä says, ‘In Schumann’s music I always feel an aspect of the past, tradition, history. Britten too admired tradition. We make a combination with works from the 17th century by Purcell and Dowland, to prepare the atmosphere of the later works by Britten and Schumann, which contain the past. I think the music benefits from it. The cathedral-like, almost sacred atmosphere of Dowland and Purcell enhances those aspects in Schumann and Britten, putting their works in a different light.’

Klaus Mäkelä and Janine Jansen with the Concertgebouw Orchestra

Conductor Klaus Mäkelä says that a concert is like a journey through time. The composers featured on this programme were clearly inspired by older music. Robert Schumann had just suffered a nervous breakdown when he wrote his Second Symphony, a work in which he documents his recovery and overtly draws on the music of Bach, Haydn and Beethoven.Benjamin Britten’s music, in which the influence of older English masters is always palpable, is also in dialogue with the past. His Violin Concerto juxtaposes tradition with present-day circumstances: the year was 1939, and the threat of war imminent. With her extraordinary aptitude for capturing mood and atmosphere, violinist Janine Jansen is the perfect interpreter.Klaus Mäkelä says, ‘In Schumann’s music I always feel an aspect of the past, tradition, history. Britten too admired tradition. We make a combination with works from the 17th century by Purcell and Dowland, to prepare the atmosphere of the later works by Britten and Schumann, which contain the past. I think the music benefits from it. The cathedral-like, almost sacred atmosphere of Dowland and Purcell enhances those aspects in Schumann and Britten, putting their works in a different light.’