Don Juan and the secret

Edward Elgar’s Violin Concerto was an immediate success after the world premiere in 1910. “It is good! Incredibly emotional! Too emotional, but I love it!” he said of his violin concerto. Yes, it is a magnificent violin concerto and at the same time secretive, with a mysterious dedication ... Canadian violinist James Ehnes has been called the “Jascha Heifetz of our time.” With his unerring musicality and lightning-fast technique he now takes on Elgar’s beautiful secret.  

Richard Strauss was a great admirer of Richard Wagner. Influenced by Wagner, Strauss abandoned the abstract, classical symphonies and sonatas of his youth and began to compose great tone poems inspired by literature and nature instead. The symphonic poem Don Juan is based on the poem by Nikolaus Lenaus, which is in turn based on the Spanish legend of Don Juan.

In addition, we hear music by American composer Paola Prestini for the first time at Konserthuset. Prestini, born in 1975, works with everything from poets and filmmakers to researchers and has become known for her innovative ideas. We hear one of her early works here, Barcarola.

Italian Speranza Scappucci conducts this concert. She is a frequent guest at the world’s major opera houses, for example in Vienna, Rome, ​​Zürich, Los Angeles and New York – and now it is time for her debut with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.