Programme

The German-Romanian baritone Konstantin Krimmel has been forced to cancel his appearance due to illness. He is replaced at short notice by James Atkinson, who  now makes his debut at Konserthuset Stockholm.

The British baritone James Atkinson has won several prestigious singing competitions and is currently one of the BBC’s New Generation Artists. Equally at home in opera, orchestral repertoire and lieder, he has given acclaimed recitals at Wigmore Hall in London, Beethovenfest in Bonn, and the Oxford International Song Festival. He has been described as a lyrical storyteller with a radiant stage presence.

The programme features Liederkreis by Robert Schumann, who declared to his wife Clara that it was “my most romantic music ever, with much of you in it”. Johannes Brahms’s Vier ernste Gesänge, written during the final year of his life, offers a moving farewell to life. With texts drawn from the Bible, these songs reflect on the transience of life and the comfort of faith. Gerald Finzi’s song cycle Let us Garlands Bring presents five Shakespeare settings filled with lyrical warmth and English refinement.

The concert concludes with Songs of Travel – Ralph Vaughan Williams’s celebrated cycle to texts by Robert Louis Stevenson, music that truly takes the listener on a journey, both outward and inward.

Magnus Svensson has been the artistic director of the song recital series for several seasons. In addition to performing across the Nordic countries and the rest of Europe, he has also appeared in Russia and the United States. Since 2012, he has worked with the Royal Swedish Academy of Music on the reissue of early Swedish music.

Franz Schubert was only around 17–18 years old when he wrote his second symphony. Yet it is an impressive work in the spirit of Beethoven. In other words, it is music full of contrasts and captivating melodies.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by Franz Welser-Möst, who in 2018 was awarded the title Eric Ericson Honorary Chair. Since 2020, he regularly conducts the orchestra. It is a collaboration that follows the bond that developed between the orchestra and conductor during the initial concerts together, and has deepened over the years.

A composer who holds a special place in Welser-Möst's heart is Richard Strauss. Here, he leads the orchestra in An Alpine Symphony, which, despite the title, is not a traditional symphony but a tone poem that depicts a dramatic journey up and down an Alpine mountain, with changing weather and nature immersions. To portray the adventure, Strauss prescribes an enormous orchestra – including cowbells, wind and thunder machines, and an extra-large brass section.

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 25 persons/tour.

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

Franz Schubert was only around 17–18 years old when he wrote his second symphony. Yet it is an impressive work in the spirit of Beethoven. In other words, it is music full of contrasts and captivating melodies.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by Franz Welser-Möst, who in 2018 was awarded the title Eric Ericson Honorary Chair. Since 2020, he regularly conducts the orchestra. It is a collaboration that follows the bond that developed between the orchestra and conductor during the initial concerts together, and has deepened over the years.

A composer who holds a special place in Welser-Möst's heart is Richard Strauss. Here, he leads the orchestra in An Alpine Symphony, which, despite the title, is not a traditional symphony but a tone poem that depicts a dramatic journey up and down an Alpine mountain, with changing weather and nature immersions. To portray the adventure, Strauss prescribes an enormous orchestra – including cowbells, wind and thunder machines, and an extra-large brass section.

With views over central Stockholm, illuminated as night falls, our guides share stories about Konserthuset Stockholm, the concert hall in the heart of the city. Seeing Stockholm from the rooftop terrace is a popular experience!

Please note

• Limited accessibility due to steep stairs.
• Minimum age: 7 years for safety reasons.
• Bags larger than A4 size (approx. 30x20 cm) are not permitted inside the Concert Hall during Culture Night.

Rooftop tour tickets

• The tour is free of charge but requires a ticket.
• Tickets can be collected at the Concert Hall’s main entrance on 26 April from 17.45 (entrance via Hötorget).
• The rooftop tours are popular, so make sure to arrive early to get a ticket.
• 10 people per group every 15 minutes.

When you have a ticket

Please arrive 5 minutes before the start of the tour – otherwise, your spot may be given to someone on the waiting list.

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Subtitles for the film

The film above is subtitled in Swedish and English. You can activate the subtitles by clicking the “CC” button in the bottom right corner of the video player.

Take this chance to try out string and wind instruments during the Kulturnatt Stockholm. Our music guides will answer your questions, help you with the instruments and show you how they work. See you on the first balcony, right-hand side.

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Please note
Bags larger than A4 (approx. 30x20 cm) may not be brought into Konserthuset during Kulturnatt Stockholm.

The Polish musician Tymoteusz Bies is a pianist, composer and music producer. A winner of the Karol Szymanowski Competition, he studied at the Academy of Music in Katowice. He performs across Europe, North America and Asia, and has so far released three albums – the most recent featuring Bach’s Goldberg Variations. He also composes music for film.

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Please note
Bags larger than A4 (approx. 30x20 cm) may not be brought into Konserthuset during Kulturnatt Stockholm.

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Project co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in frame of Inspiring Culture program.

On Kulturnatt Stockholm, Konserthuset’s elegant foyer serves as the backdrop for a classical music concert with pupils from Lilla Akademien. Grab the opportunity to marvel at the talent of tomorrow’s classical musicians today!

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Please note
Bags larger than A4 (approx. 30x20 cm) may not be brought into Konserthuset during Kulturnatt Stockholm.

Eric Ericson Chamber Choir ranks among the world’s leading professional choirs and has enjoyed a close collaboration with Konserthuset Stockholm and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra since 2003. Under the direction of Sofia Ågren, the choir performs Swedish romantic music by Wilhelm Stenhammar and Hugo Alfvén, as well as more contemporary works by German composer Elisabeth Fußeder, Swedish Sven-David Sandström and British composer and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier.

Sofia Ågren is a choral and orchestral conductor with a passion for contemporary music and frequently collaborates with composers. She has worked at Stockholms Musikgymnasium/Kungsholmens Gymnasium for about a decade and now also teaches at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

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Please note
Bags larger than A4 (approx. 30x20 cm) may not be brought into Konserthuset during Kulturnatt Stockholm.

The Polish musician Tymoteusz Bies is a pianist, composer and music producer. A winner of the Karol Szymanowski Competition, he studied at the Academy of Music in Katowice. He performs across Europe, North America and Asia, and has so far released three albums – the most recent featuring Bach’s Goldberg Variations. He also composes music for film.

***

Please note
Bags larger than A4 (approx. 30x20 cm) may not be brought into Konserthuset during Kulturnatt Stockholm.

***
Project co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in frame of Inspiring Culture program.