Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

Successful South Korean composer Unsuk Chin was the focus of Konserthuset’s Composer Festival in 2013. She now returns with a newly composed orchestral piece. It is a joint commission from the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester. Entitled SPIRA, the piece is a masterful concerto for orchestra.

After intermission, we will hear Bruckner’s symphonic world through one of his best-known symphonies: the seventh. This symphony was a major turning point in his career and a resounding audience success! It was also the first of his symphonies to be recorded.

Bruckner deeply admired Wagner, and the symphony’s adagio features a melancholy elegy to the masterful composer, who Bruckner idolized. The scherzo is a heavy-footed folkloric dance and features a crowing rooster via the trumpet, while the finale reprises a theme from the introduction.

The concert is conducted by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s previous chief conductor, now Conductor Laureate, Alan Gilbert (who is also the newly appointed chief conductor of the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg). If you would like to hear him play the viola, you are welcome to Konserthuset on 19 January to hear the Philharmonic Up-Close concert subscription performance.

Successful South Korean composer Unsuk Chin was the focus of Konserthuset’s Composer Festival in 2013. She now returns with a newly composed orchestral piece. It is a joint commission from the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester. Entitled SPIRA, the piece is a masterful concerto for orchestra.

After intermission, we will hear Bruckner’s symphonic world through one of his best-known symphonies: the seventh. This symphony was a major turning point in his career and a resounding audience success! It was also the first of his symphonies to be recorded.

Bruckner deeply admired Wagner, and the symphony’s adagio features a melancholy elegy to the masterful composer, who Bruckner idolized. The scherzo is a heavy-footed folkloric dance and features a crowing rooster via the trumpet, while the finale reprises a theme from the introduction.

The concert is conducted by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s previous chief conductor, now Conductor Laureate, Alan Gilbert (who is also the newly appointed chief conductor of the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg). If you would like to hear him play the viola, you are welcome to Konserthuset on 19 January to hear the Philharmonic Up-Close concert subscription performance.

Allan Pettersson’s Symphony No. 7 was a hit at its world premiere in 1968 at Konserthuset Stockholm, and it proved to be Pettersson’s major breakthrough. Pettersson himself said it was unnecessary to interpret elements of his impoverished childhood or unstable health in the music, because everything he wanted to say was included in it.

Many listeners have described hearing Symphony No. 7 as a moving experience. The single-movement symphony takes us through biting storms and electrifying breathlessness, leading ultimately to the soothing, endlessly beautiful and ethereal final minutes.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s previous chief conductor, now Conductor Laureate, Alan Gilbert returns for the majestic seventh symphony, which he conducted with great success in 2008 at Konserthuset.

Allan Pettersson’s Symphony No. 7 was a hit at its world premiere in 1968 at Konserthuset Stockholm, and it proved to be Pettersson’s major breakthrough. Pettersson himself said it was unnecessary to interpret elements of his impoverished childhood or unstable health in the music, because everything he wanted to say was included in it.

Many listeners have described hearing Symphony No. 7 as a moving experience. The single-movement symphony takes us through biting storms and electrifying breathlessness, leading ultimately to the soothing, endlessly beautiful and ethereal final minutes.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s previous chief conductor, now Conductor Laureate, Alan Gilbert returns for the majestic seventh symphony, which he conducted with great success in 2008 at Konserthuset.

After intermission the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Alan Gilbert will be joined by Israeli pianist Inon Barnatan. Internationally acclaimed for his sensitive and intelligent piano playing, he regularly appears with the New York Philharmonic and in recent years, he has debuted with ensembles including the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Los Angeles and London symphony orchestras.

Now Barnatan will tackle Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, a concerto that is notable for its beautiful melodic themes and glimmering orchestration, but which is also often considered the most technically challenging piece of the classical repertoire. The world premiere was in New York, which meant Rachmaninoff himself had limited opportunities to rehearse the solo part. On the ship across the Atlantic, he simply had to make do with playing a silent pretend piano.