Konserthuset Stockholm

The concert can been seen at Konserthuset Play

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Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is one of the best known classical works. This music illustrates ten paintings by the artist Viktor Hartmann, who died suddenly at the age of 39. To pay tribute to him, his friends, including Mussorgsky, arranged an exhibition in 1874 in St. Petersburg with over 400 of his works.

Gripped by the memories the exhibition called to mind, Mussorgsky quickly composed his piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition that same year. The so-called promenade theme, which serves as a transition between the different “pictures”, has become very well known.

Here, we will experience the piece in a special arrangement by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s solo trumpet player Joakim Agnas, who is also a jazz musician. He was a member of Stockholm Chamber Brass for many years and is also a studio musician, arranger and composer. He has composed a number of popular fanfares.

The concert can been seen at Konserthuset Play

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Swedish jazz – not however the usual jazz standards that perhaps spring to mind, but more recent examples. Yes, we are talking about the ”future standards”, if it is at all possible to predict such a development. Peter Asplund explains:

”Often when playing the Swedish equivalents of American jazz standards, we turn to the music of an older generation, like Lars Gullin and so on. This time, Magnus Lindgren and I wanted to take on music written by the jazz musicians of our time. Hence, we will play music by Håkan Broström, Lars Jansson, Esbjörn Svensson, Lina Nyberg, Monica Dominique, Rigmor Gustavsson, Lennart Åberg and others.”

The selected music is specially arranged for Blue House Jazz Orchestra, this time made up of 10 musicians rather than the traditional big band setting of 16 musicians. Blue House Jazz Orchestra is Konserthuset’s own big band, led by Peter Asplund and Magnus Lindgren.

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The concert can been seen at Konserthuset Play

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Crystal clear, dynamic, vibrating, earthbound and not altogether tamed. These are words that have been used to describe Viktoria Tolstoy – one of Scandinavia’s foremost vocalists. 

In 2019 Viktoria Tolstoy released her latest cd, Stations (ATC/Naxos), together with her high-profiled band where the pianist Joel Lyssarides is the newest addition. The album contains music by Bonnie Raitt, Nancy Wilson, Billy Joel and Shirley Horn, as well as newly written material by Ida Sand and Joel Lyssarides.

Viktoria Tolstoy made a noticed debut in 1994 with the album Smile, Love and Spice. She was 20 years old. Two years later, with the album För Älskad (Too Loved) she became Sweden’s sensational pop act. To this day she has released some dozen albums in her own name. 

Among her many collaborations one could mention Esbjörn Svensson (on the album White Russian, the first Scandinavian album to be released by legendary Blue Note), Nils Landgren, Jakob Karlzon and Iiro Rantala. Viktoria Tolstoy has established herself internationally as one of the top voices in today’s jazz.

The webstream from Konserthuset Stockholm is part of Digital Culture Night Stockholm

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Follow behind the scenes at the recording of the family concert Drills and Dragon Ears with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Emilia Hoving, and Ayla Kabaca.

How does a conductor work? Emilia also talks to young people from El Sistema Södertälje about what it means to be a conductor, and the work before a concert.