Mendelssohn Violin Concerto

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Violin Concerto in E minor is among classical music’s priceless masterpieces. He composed it for his childhood friend, violin virtuoso Ferdinand David – and the result was incredibly successful. With its light-hearted airiness and singular melodic beauty, this concerto is one of music history’s most popular pieces in all categories. The soloist is the young Swedish violinist Daniel Lozakovich.

We also hear music by the unbelievably gifted Romantic composer Franz Schmidt. He studied composition under Bruckner, but also spent fifteen years as a cellist with the Vienna Philharmonic; the orchestra’s conductor, Gustav Mahler, always wanted him to take the solo parts. His flowing and emotional late-Romantic music is played all too infrequently. The influences of Bruckner and Mahler are unmistakable, and the music is also personal and expressive. 

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by Latvian conductor Aivis Greters, assistant conductor of the Gothenburg Opera and Orchestre de Paris. This marks his debut with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. The previously announced conductor Simone Young was obliged to cancel her performances, and as a result Franz Schmidts Symphony No. 2 has been replaced by Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 5.