Gävle Symphony Orchestra

The Gävle Symphony Orchestra has a history dating back over 100 years. Ruben Liljefors was the orchestra’s first artistic director, and conductors such as Stig Westerberg and Robin Ticciati have subsequently served as chief conductor. After several successful turns as guest conductor for the Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Spaniard Jaime Martín became the orchestra’s artistic director in 2012, and chief conductor starting in 2013. From its home stage of Gävle Konserthus, the orchestra also tours Sweden and internationally. 

Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 is a great challenge both technically and conceptually, from the caressing introduction to the brutal finale. Tackling the piece here will be the young Serbian violinist Nemanja Radulovic (b. 1985), who in just a few years has taken the classical music world by storm and now works with the foremost ensembles. He also leads his own ensemble, the Devil’s Trills, which has toured Europe and Asia.

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Symphony No. 5, also called the “Reformation” symphony, was chronologically his second (the numbering of the symphonies is clearly misleading). It was composed in honour of the 300th anniversary of Martin Luther’s church reform and the Augsburg Confession, and for this reason, he uses melodies from the sixteenth century in the piece. The music can also be seen as a tribute to J.S. Bach, the master of Protestant church music.