Sibelius and Schumann

Sibelius and Tchaikovsky

Sibelius's violin concerto is now the most performed of all violin concertos from the 20th century. Yet its musical language belongs to the late 19th century, and the music is warm and lyrical, dramatic and melancholic. Sibelius, himself a violinist, possibly wrote the concerto he himself would have wanted to play – albeit on a technical level far beyond his own. In this way, the violin concerto can be seen as a farewell to the youthful dreams of a career as a violin virtuoso. It is among the more challenging in the genre, as many violinists have attested.Taking on the challenge is the young award-winning violinist Maria Ioudenitch. In 2021, she won first prize in the prestigious Ysaÿe International Music Competition and the same year also the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition. Maria Ioudenitch was born in Russia but moved to the USA with her family at the age of two.Tchaikovsky composed his fifth symphony during a few summer months in 1888. He had complained about a lack of inspiration in the spring: "Am I burned out? No ideas, no desire?" But the fifth became a vital, emotionally charged, and in many respects brilliant symphony. It premiered under the composer's direction at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in November of the same year.The concert opens with the Swedish composer Andrea Tarrodis's Liguria, music that takes us on a journey between five small fishing villages clinging to the cliffs along Italy's northwest coast.Read more about chief conductor Ryan Bancroft

The Schumann Couple and Felix

Clara Schumann's piano concerto is stunningly beautiful and a sparkling fireworks display. She was one of the most admired and influential pianists of the 19th century, performing in the same league as Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt. In the concerto, we also hear the inspiration from Chopin, whom she preferred over Liszt. Clara Schumann was only 16 years old when she premiered the virtuosic concerto herself in Leipzig in 1835.The soloist in Clara Schumann's piano concerto is the Romanian-British pianist Alexandra Dariescu, known for her expressive playing as well as her advocacy for female composers. Around the same time Clara performed her piano concerto, she met her future husband Robert, one of the great figures of Romantic music. His impassioned overture to the incidental music for Manfred is based on Lord Byron's dramatic poem.Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was a friend of Clara and Robert Schumann – also a great Romantic with a particular sense for melodic beauty. This is evident in his Fifth Symphony, which is also a tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach. Swedish conductor Magnus Fryklund makes his debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with this concert. Educated in Denmark, he has made a name for himself particularly as a skilled opera conductor, including in France.

Sibelius Third Symphony

A Finnish program featuring the young Finnish conductor Emilia Hoving. She was named Newcomer of the Year by the Finnish critics in 2021, the same year she made her debut with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. She has studied with Sakari Oramo, the Conductor Laurate of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and former chief conductor.Finnish-Swedish composer Ida Moberg – ”Finland's first female symphonist” – has only recently begun to receive recognition. She studied composition with her contemporary Sibelius and composed over 100 works. Her music is influenced by both spiritual and anthroposophical interests, and the orchestral suite Soluppgång (Sunrise) is not only inspired by nature but also a contemplation of human existence. The first movement of the suite was premiered by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at the Nobel Prize Ceremony in 2022.Sibelius's first two symphonies are often described as national-romantic, but Symphony No. 3 from 1907 represents something entirely different. The music partly reverts to older musical forms and characteristics, but the third and final movement still breaks away from simple descriptions with its enigmatically shifting moods.

Works by Beethoven and Sibelius

Smetana and Dvorák

The oceans, lakes, streams, and rivers have always been important sources of inspiration for artists, poets, and composers. In the famous Moldau by Smetana, celebrating its 200th anniversary, we hear how the babbling smaller streams wind their way through the landscape before flowing together 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, being 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 the seventh symphony to be one of his very best works.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.

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.

Mendelssohn and Bruckner

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's violin concerto ranks among the priceless masterpieces of classical music. He wrote it for his childhood friend and violin virtuoso Ferdinand David, and the result was extremely successful – for with its spiritual airiness and melodic beauty, the violin concerto is one of the most beloved works of all time.Violinist Augustin Hadelich began performing concerts at the age of 8 but suffered serious burns in an accident at the age of 15. After two years and many surgeries, he was able to resume playing the violin and now performs worldwide with leading orchestras and conductors. "It is a delight to work with Hadelich, for there is a clarity in his playing and everything is so well thought out without losing spontaneity", says chief conductor Ryan Bancroft, who leads the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.Anton Bruckner's extensive and grand symphonies never cease to amaze. According to Bruckner himself, the opening horn signal in the Fourth Symphony symbolizes the dawn after the night's rest. A captivating symphonic landscape emerges where the full range of the orchestra is used. This is Bruckner's most performed and beloved symphony, and it is also he who gave it the subtitle "The Romantic."Read more about chief conductor Ryan Bancroft

Mendelssohn and Bruckner

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's violin concerto ranks among the priceless masterpieces of classical music. He wrote it for his childhood friend and violin virtuoso Ferdinand David, and the result was extremely successful – for with its spiritual airiness and melodic beauty, the violin concerto is one of the most beloved works of all time.Violinist Augustin Hadelich began performing concerts at the age of 8 but suffered serious burns in an accident at the age of 15. After two years and many surgeries, he was able to resume playing the violin and now performs worldwide with leading orchestras and conductors. "It is a delight to work with Hadelich, for there is a clarity in his playing and everything is so well thought out without losing spontaneity", says chief conductor Ryan Bancroft, who leads the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.Anton Bruckner's extensive and grand symphonies never cease to amaze. According to Bruckner himself, the opening horn signal in the Fourth Symphony symbolizes the dawn after the night's rest. A captivating symphonic landscape emerges where the full range of the orchestra is used. This is Bruckner's most performed and beloved symphony, and it is also he who gave it the subtitle "The Romantic."Read more about chief conductor Ryan Bancroft

Beethoven and Nielsen

Beethoven's overture to Heinrich Joseph von Collin's tragic drama about the Roman general Coriolanus is grandiose and dramatic, yet also enchantingly beautiful. It is written in the key of C minor, which Beethoven often used in his most intense and heroic works.With Nielsen, humour is often present. This is particularly true for his second symphony, which was inspired by a visit to a village inn. On the wall hung a painting that ironically depicted the four temperaments of humans – the choleric, the phlegmatic, the melancholic, and the sanguine – which Nielsen portrays with good humour, a touch of drama, and palpable warmth in his second symphony, also known as the "Four Temperaments".The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by Alan Gilbert, the orchestra's former chief conductor (2000–2008) and since then its Conductor Laureate. He has served as the music director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and is currently the chief conductor of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in Hamburg and the music director of the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm.

Beethoven and Pejacevic

Beethoven was drawn to figures, fictional or real, who dared to stand up against injustices. Egmont in Goethe's drama of the same name was one such fictional but clearly influential figure for Beethoven. In the overture, he summarizes the drama, from the slow introduction through tragedy to a triumphant conclusion.The orchestra is led by the young and increasingly renowned Czech conductor Jirí Rozen, who is making his debut with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.In Dora Pejacevic's music, traces of Wagner, Brahms, and Bruckner can be found, but it is also strongly personal with rich colors and profound seriousness. After a cautious, slow introduction, the contrastive and determined music of this symphony from 1918 unfolds, painting vivid natural scenes. The music also contains exuberant pirouettes that are swept away by dazzling outbursts towards the end. It is an impressive work by a composer who was long neglected.