Hardenberger plays Brett Dean

Between both of the Beethoven works will be a performance of the trumpet concerto Dramatis Personae by Brett Dean – who was featured in the Composer Festival at Stockholm Concert Hall in 2011. In this work, Dean has been inspired by literature, politics, art and the environment. The music was composed specifically for this evening’s soloist, the brilliant trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger. Overall, many composers have composed music for Hardenberger – he has also premiered works by Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Hans Werner Henze, Rolf Martinsson and Arvo Pärt.

On to Beethoven. Heroism was a hot topic in his day. So it was not so surprising that he was most attracted to those who dared to stand up against injustice when he wrote for the theatre. Egmont was just such a hero, and the overture summarizes the drama from its slow introduction, through tragedy, to a triumphant conclusion.

With his charged Third Symphony, Beethoven marked a clear evolution from the legacies of Haydn and Mozart to something new and bold. It was the longest symphony heard to date, twice as long as his predecessors’, and it paved the way for Schumann, Brahms and Bruckner’s continued work with developing the symphony in the nineteenth century.

Symphony No. 3 was initially thought to be a tribute to Napoleon, who Beethoven admired as a democrat and an anti-monarchist. But when Napoleon appointed himself emperor, Beethoven changed his mind and the symphony was dedicated instead to the music-loving patron Furst Lobkowitz. The title Eroica, the heroic, “in memory of a great man”, is what remains of Napoleon. The music spans a broad emotional register and is without a doubt a milestone in music history.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra will be led by John Storgårds, who until recently was chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and who has been praised for his ability to infuse music with energy. He is also a violinist. His discography is extensive and he has recently been lauded for interpretations of both Sibelius and Nielsen. Storgårds is now principal guest conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada.