Wesendonck Songs

Dorothea Röschmann entered the international opera scene in 1995, in a performance of Susanna in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro at the festival in Salzburg. Since then, she has been considered one of Europe’s elite singers. Here, she sings Wagner’s Wesendonck songs – music filled with fiery longing, incredible beauty and passionate desire. 

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Symphony No. 4 is inspired by a trip to Italy. The culture, people, scenery and art all made an impression on him. On the trip, he wrote home to his sister Fanny: “The Italian symphony is promising! It will be one of my most cheerful works, especially the final movement.” It is also truly Italian: we hear the lively saltarello, a dance for couples dating back to the seventeenth century, in which the female partner is swung up in the air. 

In Estonian Helena Tulve’s expressive and emotional Anastatica from 2011, it is easy to imagine the vast expanse of the desert. The piece is named after a desert plant and much of the inspiration comes from Sufi texts by Rumi and Hafiz. 

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by Tulve’s fellow countryperson, Kristiina Poska. She is chief conductor of the Flanders Symphony Orchestra and regularly guest-performs with orchestras such as the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Camerata Salzburg, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg and the Munich Philharmonic.