Wiklund, Mühlrad and Sibelius
Sibelius' Sixteen Finnish Swans and an overlooked Swedish piano concerto from the early 1900s, along with a new work by Jacob Mühlrad.
Sibelius' Fifth Symphony is his most performed and beloved. He already felt during its composition that he was creating something great. ”Have received a wonderful theme”, he noted in a diary entry. He had seen sixteen swans, which gave him the idea for the magnificent theme in the final movement. ”One of the great experiences of my life! My God, what beauty.”
The orchestra is led by the Latvian conductor Aivis Greters, who has conducted the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra a couple of times in recent years. As a prelude to Sibelius after the interval, we hear the latest orchestral work by the Swedish composer Jacob Mühlrad. The world premiere of Resil is performed by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra in October, and here the work is presented for the first time in a version for a large symphony orchestra.
The composer, pianist, and conductor Adolf Wiklund's two piano concertos are among the best Swedish works in their genre. The first concerto from 1906 is grandly romantic in the footsteps of Rachmaninov, spiced with a touch of Grieg and a pinch of his friend Stenhammar. Wiklund was also the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra's second conductor, from 1925 to 1938.
As the soloist in Wiklund's first piano concerto, we have the versatile pianist Magnus Svensson. He performs concerts both in Sweden and internationally. He has particularly immersed himself in the art lieder and is the artistic director for Konserthuset’s series of lied concerts. Since 2012, he has also been working at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music with re-publishing older Swedish music.
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The music
Approximate times -
Adolf Wiklund Piano Concerto No. 134 min
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Intermission25 min
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Jacob Mühlrad Resil I (World Premiere of Large Version)8 min
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Jean Sibelius Symphony No. 527 min
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Participants
- Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
- Aivis Greters conductor
- Magnus Svensson piano