Stravinsky Violin Concerto

Frank Peter Zimmermann is widely acclaimed for his beautifully resonant violin-playing and he is considered one of the foremost violin soloists of our time. He has taken the stage at Konserthuset Stockholm many times before and is a very popular guest. Now we hear him in Stravinsky’s neoclassical and playfully melodic Violin Concerto, in which each movement begins with a sharp chord as if to say: Listen up – it’s starting now!

With the French composer Florent Schmitt we arrive at the early 1900s and La belle époque. Schmitt is not widely known anymore, but used to be mentioned alongside Ravel and Debussy. And he for instance inspired Stravinsky at this time. La Tragédie de Salomé is a true gem among forgotten masterpieces, with its fascinating orchestral colours and exciting rhythms.

The opening piece is Finnish Sebastian Hilli’s striking Miracle, and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra will be led by its chief conductor designate, award-winning American Ryan Bancroft. “A dancing conductor bodes well for the musicians,” wrote newspaper SvD after the 2021 Nobel Prize Concert.