Konserthuset Stockholm

Richard Strauss’ opera The Woman without a Shadow (Die Frau ohne Schatten) from 1919 is a mystery about motherhood and love. The woman who is the empress belongs to the spiritual world and has no shadow, because she is unable to have a child. The wife of a dyer who does not want a child is willing to sell her shadow to the empress. It is one of Richard Strauss’ masterpieces and the instrumentation is phenomenal, for example through the impressive percussion arsenal.

The opera was a hit and Strauss therefore compiled a Symphonic Fantasy, which the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra performs here under the baton of American conductor Karina Canellakis, whose outstanding conducting career took off when she was given the Sir Georg Solti Award in 2016. She is working with the main international orchestras and this is her third visit with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. In December she will return to lead the orchestra at this year's Nobel Prize Concert.

We will also hear star British violinist Nicola Benedetti in Karol Szymanowski’s lyrically beautiful and masterful Violin Concerto No. 1. Benedetti performed the composer's second violin concerto at her debut with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in 2016.

As a concluding highlight, we will hear Dvorák’s Symphony No. 7, inspired by Brahms’ Symphony No. 3. While Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9 may be his most played, many wish to feature the seventh in particular as one of his very best compositions. 

At this soup concert, some of Sweden’s most prominent musicians in early music will present works by masters of Baroque, performed on the viola da gamba, theorbo and harpsichord.

The versatile Daniel Holst has played cello with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra since 1989, and also plays Baroque cello and viola da gamba in the Baroque ensemble Rebaroque, and in the Philharmonic’s own Orpheus Baroque Ensemble. 

Olof Larsson is a frequently engaged Baroque musician who plays cello, violone and viola da gamba. He is a member of the Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble, and he freelances throughout Sweden and abroad.

Mariangiola Martello holds doctorate degrees in both archaeology and harpsichord performance. Since 2007, she has served as musical assistant to conductor Alessandro de Marchi, and she regularly appears at venues including the Theater an der Wien in Vienna and the Hamburg State Opera. She has also collaborated, both as a leader and a continuo player, with ensembles including the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s own Orpheus Baroque Ensemble, and Musica Vitae.

Karl Nyhlin studied lute and continuo playing at the diploma level under Nigel North in the US. Today he works with ensembles all over Europe, and plays principal lute with the Drottningholm Theatre Orchestra. He has made numerous recordings both as an ensemble player and as a soloist.

Menu: Chickpea soup with cumin, served with garlic smetana and toasted sesame seeds

The Stockholm Concert Hall at Hötorget is one of Sweden’s great architectural masterpieces. Created during a period of expansion in Stockholm, by the Swedish architect Ivar Tengbom, it opened in 1926. The Stockholm Concert Hall was built for the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and has since the start been the dedicated venue for the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony as well as many other prestigious events.

The tour is in Swedish.

Konserthuset Stockholm's Blue House Jazz All Stars, featuring Peter Asplund and Magnus Lindgren, welcomes back global artist John Beasley for a unique concert showcasing internationally renowned musicians from several continents. Expect the unexpected when they come on stage together with Tunisian Oud and vocalist Dhafer Youssef, Brazilian drummer Kiko Freitas, soul and jazz diva China Moses and Italian-American bassist John Patitucci for an intercultural musical experience. This act of musical collaboration hopes to show the power of music to diminish borders.

Grammy winning recording bassist John Patitucci has been at the forefront of the jazz world performing with living legends Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. China Moses has a long career as a singer as well as a presenter for MTV France. She tours as a solo artist and has worked with Meshell Ndegeocello and DJ Mehdi.

Kiko Freitas was born into a family of musicians, poets and artists and grew up learning and drumming with the who’s who of Brazilian and world music, including Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Michel Legrand.

Dhafer Youssef discovered the echo of his voice and its resonances at an early age, then in his youth he picked up an Oud and his career as a musician became extraordinary. He is a recording artist and can also be heard in movie soundtracks.

Much of the music for Jazz Across Continents is arranged by versatile composer-arranger-pianist John Beasley who seeks to create musical bridges sparking cultural collaboration and creating joy in the process. Beasley is known for his work with Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard and as Music Director for the Thelonious Monk Institute’s International Jazz Day global concerts.

Magnus Lindgren, renowned saxophonist, flutist, composer and arranger, has released ten albums; the latest being Stockholm Underground, focusing on the jazz flute. Trumpet player and singer Peter Asplund has released eight albums and as a widely sought-after musician apperad on countless more. Lindgren and Asplund are both immensely versatile musicans, and leaders of Konserthuset Stockholm's big band Blue House Jazz Orchestra. 

In cooperation with Stockholm Jazz Festival