The Freiburger Barockorchester plays Baroque music with a deep connection to historic sources. The orchestra’s repertoire spans from the seventeenth century to today, and the ensemble has inspired many composers to compose new music for period instruments.

This guest performance at Konserthuset will feature Haydn’s Symphony No. 74 and Mozart’s Piano Concertos No. 9 and 17. No. 9 has been nicknamed Jeunehomme, in reference to the young Victoire Jenamy. If she were capable of playing the concerto, she must have been a very gifted musician indeed. Something similar could be said of the bird, a starling, which Mozart is said to have trained to sing the first five bars of the final movement of Piano Concerto No. 17. In addition, there will be a slightly less common repertoire: a stormy symphony in early classical style by Johann Christian Bach – Johann Sebastian’s youngest son.


From this season and for the next three years, the Freiburger Barockorchester will have a close partnership with conductor and pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout, who is the soloist in the Mozart concertos. He regularly appears as a soloist with Les Arts Florissants, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and has guest-conducted ensembles such as The English Concert and Collegium Vocale from the piano.

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.

If my life were to flow on as peacefully as a meadow brook, I don’t think I would ever again be able to compose anything, Gustav Mahler once said. This was not the case – his life was filled with drama, of which the first two symphonies are also musical examples. Many life experiences are contained herein, and the music was challenging for audiences of the time, with its emotional volatility and daring dissonance.

It took Mahler 15 years to go from idea to completed work, and a journey from young and promising to master before his first symphony premiered in Budapest in 1889. His songs play a huge role in the symphonic style, and here, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen are heard in the first and third movements.

The programme also offers Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 1, which was composed for – and as a portrait of – the young violinist Stefi Geyer. Stefi Geyer played a double role for Bartók, who was in love with her: confidante – they wrote letters – and muse. Her recurrent theme, the notes D–F sharp–A–C sharp, begin the entire concerto and permeate much of the music.

Here, we will hear Norwegian soloist Vilde Frang, whose unique interpretations and virtuosity make her one of the most coveted violinists today. This season, she debuted with the Munich Philharmonic and Valery Gergiev, and returned to the Orchestre de Paris and the festival in Lucerne with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Herbert Blomstedt. She debuted with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in February 2009 and last guest-performed in November 2016 (in Britten’s Violin Concerto).

To begin, we will hear music by Benjamin Staern (b. 1978), one of the greatest Swedish compositional talents of our time.

Elias String Quartet is a top international quartet, with musicians from France, the Netherlands and Scotland. This successful ensemble, whose name is from an oratorio by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, has recorded all of Beethoven’s string quartets and performed on stages such as Wigmore Hall in London, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and Carnegie Hall in New York. They have toured the US, Canada, Australia and more.

Elias String Quartet premiered Sally Beamish’s third string quartet, Reed Stanzas, in 2011 at the BBC Proms in London. Beamish’s music often has themes from the Celtic tradition, including this quartet.

Maurice Ravel was 28 when he composed his sole string quartet in 1903. It is well anchored in a classical foundation, but with some inspiration from Debussy as well. The piece quickly became established on the repertoire. The well-known pizzicato section of the second movement is also the vignette music for the programme Kulturstudion (The Culture Studio) on Swedish Television (SVT).

Antonín Dvorák wrote several pieces with obvious slavic influences, among them the string quartets nos 10 and 11. The 10th quartet is played here, and it is filled with rythms and atmospheres characteristic of the region's folk music.

History carries this orchestra forward. Richard Wagner called it the most exceptional of its kind in the world, an assertion with which Anton Bruckner, Johannes Brahms and Gustav Mahler all agreed. Richard Strauss emphasised that no matter how much one praises the Vienna Philharmonic, there is still a risk of underrating them. Conductor Daniel Harding replaces Zubin Mehta, who due to health reasons has been obliged to cancel his participation during the European tour. However, the very exciting programme remains unchainged.

Daniel Harding is Music Director of both the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre de Paris, and Conductor Laureate of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. 

Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1: Jeremiah from 1942 and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 will be performed here. Jeremiah was composed in 1942, in the midst of war, and is dedicated to Bernstein’s father. In the final movement, Lamentation, Jeremiah’s sorrow can be heard as he mourns his beloved Jerusalem. Vocal soloist is Austrian mezzo-soprano Elisabeth Kulman, formerly associated with the Vienna State Opera but now active globally in concert and opera settings.

Three things influenced Mahler’s symphonic style as he worked on his fifth symphony: that the winter before, he had nearly bled to death; that while recovering, he had immersed himself in the collected works of Bach; and that in the midst of working on the piece, he met his future wife, Alma Schindler.

The organ matinée subscription featuring performances by Sweden’s leading organists has expanded and gained more and more popularity. With its magnificent facade, the organ in Konserthuset Stockholm is one of the most famous in Europe, and with 6,100 pipes, it is also one of the biggest.

The guest soloist at this organ matinée is Anna Holm. Since 2009, she has served as the organist at Kungsholms Church, Västermalm Parish, where she is in charge of concerts. In addition to plentiful concert activity, she has also taught organ at Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University College and the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

Here, we will hear her in South African composer Surendran Reddy’s jazzy Toccata for Madiba, composed for South Africa’s first international organ competition in 1998. It is dedicated to Nelson Mandela and finishes with variations on South Africa’s national anthem, Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika.

The prelude, fugue and variation for organ solo from Six Pieces by César Franck are popular among organists and audiences alike. Many people recognise the music, even if they are not entirely sure who composed it.

The fact that Bizet composed the unparalleled melodies of the opera Carmen is, however, better known. Many composers have also felt compelled to compose fantasies based on the opera’s theme, such as Edwin Henry Lemare (1865–1934), a British organist and composer active in the US in the latter part of his life.

When Stockholm Chamber Brass formed in 1985, it was with the modest intent that the five young musicians would rehearse chamber music together. It turned out to go so well that they soon won an international competition for brass quintets, and since then, they have been considered among the foremost ensembles in their genre. There have been six successful albums to date, and when the critic from the American Record Guide heard their album Clockworks, he wrote that he could not imagine a better brass quintet.

Their repertoire spans from the Renaissance to contemporary music in both original compositions and their own arrangements. Since the beginning, they have been interested in commissioning newly composed music for brass quintet, and over 40 pieces have been composed for them by composers such as Anders Hillborg, Sven-David Sandström, Karin Rehnqvist, Christian Lindberg and Piers Hellawell. They have also worked with many fine soloists. Special guest at this anniversary concert: splendid trumpet player Håkan Hardenberger partitcipates as soloist as well as conductor.

The five members of the ensemble are all successful soloists on their respective instruments, as well as passionate teachers who are dedicated to the next generation of brass musicians. We will hear Tom Poulson and Urban Agnas, trumpet; Jonas Bylund, trombone; Annamia Larsson, horn; and Sami Al Fakir, tuba.

Portuguese fado is born in the space where domestic sailor songs meet Arabic and African influences. A great deal has changed more than two hundred years later, but the passion remains and lyrics often focus on the fate of the vulnerable.

Mariza grew up in the fado district of Lisbon and began her musical career with interpretations of one of the genre’s giants, Amália Rodrigues. More than a decade after her debut, Mariza is now the absolute biggest fado star, with listeners far beyond the traditional concert audience. Over the years, Mariza has been named the best world music artist by the BBC; she has been nominated for a whole host of Latin Grammy Awards and has shared the largest stages with everyone from Sting to Gilberto Gil. She is also a huge part of why UNESCO added fado to its list of the World’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011.

But above all, just as the first mother of modern fado Amália Rodrigues did, in recent years she has found her own unique expression and expanded the concept of what fado can be. And when Mariza steps into the spotlight, it is pure magic! She can truly spellbind her audience.

Now, with the whole world as her stage, this natural star is back in Stockholm at last!

This concert is a collaboration between Selam and Konserthuset Stockholm.

The brilliant singer Gregory Porter is a beloved guest at Konserthuset Stockholm. He has performed with us at two previous Blue House Jazz concerts, in 2014 and 2015, and he appeared on the TV-broadcast Polar Prize gala in June 2017.

His latest release, which is his fifth, is a tribute to a major progenitor and source of inspiration, entitled Nat King Cole & Me. “He was unique,” concludes Gregory Porter, “and he left behind such gorgeous music – so much beauty to listen to that it is impossible not to be affected by his incredible timbre, serenity and coolness. It only feels natural to turn to my great source of inspiration, to my origins. That includes my mother, gospel music and Nat King Cole.”

46-year-old Gregory Porter released his first album in 2010, and the entire world of jazz had its eyes opened at once to this phenomenal artist. Already with his debut, he was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Jazz Vocal Album. With his third album, Liquid Spirit, he won his first Grammy in 2014, and he also won a Grammy in 2017 for his fourth album, Take Me to the Alley.

Amadou & Mariam are not only Mali’s most successful musical export ever, but also one of the biggest acts from the entire African continent. After several years of silence, Amadou & Mariam returned late last year with the acclaimed album “La Confusion”.

For nearly four decades, this duo has specialised in combining different styles and influences in their music. With a base in their own African soul, they have explored everything from disco to hip hop.

The story of Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia is one of the more inspiring in modern music history – a love affair that led to two blind visionaries from Mali climbing up singles charts world-wide, winning countless awards and directing audiences’ attention to how life can look in Mali.

Don’t miss this legendary duo!

This concert is a collaboration between Selam and Konserthuset Stockholm.