Konserthuset Stockholm

Wilhelm Stenhammar is without hesitation one of Sweden’s most significant composers and was one of the foremost Swedish pianists of his time. We are celebrating the 150-year anniversary of Stenhammar’s birth with a large festival. Stenhammar was born in 1871 in Stockholm. His family lived on Kammakargatan, just a few hundred metres from the location at which Konserthuset Stockholm would later be built.

Next to his chamber music, Stenhammar’s songs are perhaps his most important compositions. They also inspired great admiration among his contemporary colleagues in singing and composition. Already as a teenager, he composed songs to texts by Heinrich Heine, Jens Peter Jacobsen, Oscar Levertin and Johan Ludvig Runeberg. Many of his songs also demonstrate his unparalleled ability to dress up the poetry of his day with perfectly atmospheric music.

Soprano Miah Persson performs in the world’s most prestigious opera houses and is also highly active in concert settings. Her specialities include Mozart’s operas, as well as the role of Sophie in Richard Strauss’ Rosenkavalier and Anne Trulove in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. Her discography is extensive and she has worked with conductors such as René Jacobs, Marc Minkowski and Iván Fischer. Recent seasons have included roles at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, the Berlin State Opera, Theater an der Wien and the Verbier Festival.

Karl-Magnus Fredriksson performs with many of the foremost orchestras and regularly travels to various European countries to perform opera and lieder, orchestral songs and sacred works. Since 1999, he has been associated with the Royal Swedish Opera, where he has performed numerous famous roles in operas by Mozart, Rossini, Verdi and Puccini, as well as contemporary Swedish operas such as Sven-David Sandström’s Batseba, Daniel Börtz’s Medea, and Hans Gefors’ Christina. He is also a popular educator and was appointed court singer in 2004.

The versatile pianist Magnus Svensson specialises in the art of lied, and he has served as artistic director of Lied Evenings at Konserthuset for several seasons. In addition to the Nordic region and elsewhere in Europe, he has also performed in Russia and the US. Magnus Svensson obtained his soloist diploma from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, graduated with honours as top student, and then immersed himself in the study of lied interpretation in London. Since 2012, he has also worked at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music with re-publishing older Swedish music.

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Buy the festival book (only in swedish) and CD’s in our web shop (opens in a new window)

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Livestream
The concert can be seen at Konserthuset Play. You can also see the concert afterwards on Play.

Wilhelm Stenhammar is without hesitation one of Sweden’s most significant composers and was one of the foremost Swedish pianists of his time. We are celebrating the 150-year anniversary of Stenhammar’s birth with a large festival. Stenhammar was born in 1871 in Stockholm. His family lived on Kammakargatan, just a few hundred metres from the location at which Konserthuset Stockholm would later be built.

In the symphonic overture Excelsior!, we encounter a romantic and passionate Stenhammar at age 25. The melodies are filled with ecstatic, upward-reaching energy – Excelsior means higher, ambitiousness. Conducted by the legendary Arthur Nikisch, the Berlin Philharmonic performed the world premiere of Excelsior! in 1896, the same year Stenhammar composed it.

Stenhammar may have been a pianist, but he had a distinct feel for the expression of a violin. In Two Sentimental Romances for violin and orchestra, we get a taste of his unique ability to create long, melodic string parts that draw the listener into a peaceful, pastoral landscape. This music has the tangible feel of a summer night, where melancholy and happiness go hand in hand. The soloist is the acclaimed young Swedish star violinist Johan Dalene.   

Stenhammar had the idea for the beloved and frequently performed Serenade while visiting Florence in 1907. He wrote in a letter, “I want to write beautifully and tenderly about the south, in a way that only a resident of the north can do.” And indeed he succeeded, for the Serenade is one of his true masterpieces: sensual southern European music presented in Nordic light – playful, lyrical and beautiful.

As a bonus, the entire concert will conclude with Stenhammar’s Violin Sonata. 

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra will be led by Andrew Manze, the internationally acclaimed conductor and violinist who was chief conductor of the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra from 2006–2014.

***

Buy the festival book (only in swedish) and CD’s in our web shop (opens in a new window)

***

Livestream
The concert on September 30 can be seen at Konserthuset Play. You can also see the concert afterwards on Play.

Konserthuset Stockholm 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. Konserthuset Stockholm 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 guided tour is held in Swedish.
• Maximum 10 persons/tour.

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Subtitles
Subtitles in English and Swedish is activated by using the CC control in the video player.

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Konserthuset Stockholm follows the Public Health Agency of Sweden`s recommendations to give you a safe visit.

Wilhelm Stenhammar is without hesitation one of Sweden’s most significant composers and was one of the foremost Swedish pianists of his time. We are celebrating the 150-year anniversary of Stenhammar’s birth with a large festival. Stenhammar was born in 1871 in Stockholm. His family lived on Kammakargatan, just a few hundred metres from the location at which Konserthuset Stockholm would later be built.

In the symphonic overture Excelsior!, we encounter a romantic and passionate Stenhammar at age 25. The melodies are filled with ecstatic, upward-reaching energy – Excelsior means higher, ambitiousness. Conducted by the legendary Arthur Nikisch, the Berlin Philharmonic performed the world premiere of Excelsior! in 1896, the same year Stenhammar composed it.

Stenhammar may have been a pianist, but he had a distinct feel for the expression of a violin. In Two Sentimental Romances for violin and orchestra, we get a taste of his unique ability to create long, melodic string parts that draw the listener into a peaceful, pastoral landscape. This music has the tangible feel of a summer night, where melancholy and happiness go hand in hand. The soloist is the acclaimed young Swedish star violinist Johan Dalene.   

Stenhammar had the idea for the beloved and frequently performed Serenade while visiting Florence in 1907. He wrote in a letter, “I want to write beautifully and tenderly about the south, in a way that only a resident of the north can do.” And indeed he succeeded, for the Serenade is one of his true masterpieces: sensual southern European music presented in Nordic light – playful, lyrical and beautiful.

As a bonus, the entire concert will conclude with Stenhammar’s Violin Sonata. 

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra will be led by Andrew Manze, the internationally acclaimed conductor and violinist who was chief conductor of the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra from 2006–2014.

***

Buy the festival book (only in swedish) and CD’s in our web shop (opens in a new window)

***

Livestream
The concert on September 30 can be seen at Konserthuset Play. You can also see the concert afterwards on Play.