Chief Conductor Ryan Bancroft

Phenomenal violinist Alina Ibragimova made her debut as soloist at Konserthuset in 2017 with Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No 1. She regularly performs with elite orchestras around the world, and leads the acclaimed string quartet Chiaroscuro. 

We hear her in Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 1, a musical portrait of the young violinist Stefi Geyer, with whom he was in love and to whom he wrote long, passionate letters. The musical declaration of love in the first movement is beautiful in a nearly otherworldly way at times.

Elevated musical beauty is also present in Gustav Mahler’s beloved Symphony No. 5, which is perhaps his most played. The symphony is a captivating musical journey that begins with mourning and concludes with a triumphant finale – with a subtle note of irony. In between, he has charged the work with a grand, dancing scherzo, which is a song that celebrates the joy of existence, full of desire and sensual experience. And then of course, we have the famous Adagietto.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by American conductor Ryan Bancroft, who is chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra as of this season.

Phenomenal violinist Alina Ibragimova made her debut as soloist at Konserthuset in 2017 with Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No 1. She regularly performs with elite orchestras around the world, and leads the acclaimed string quartet Chiaroscuro. 

We hear her in Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 1, a musical portrait of the young violinist Stefi Geyer, with whom he was in love and to whom he wrote long, passionate letters. The musical declaration of love in the first movement is beautiful in a nearly otherworldly way at times.

Elevated musical beauty is also present in Gustav Mahler’s beloved Symphony No. 5, which is perhaps his most played. The symphony is a captivating musical journey that begins with mourning and concludes with a triumphant finale – with a subtle note of irony. In between, he has charged the work with a grand, dancing scherzo, which is a song that celebrates the joy of existence, full of desire and sensual experience. And then of course, we have the famous Adagietto.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by American conductor Ryan Bancroft, who is chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra as of this season.

The sea has been an important source of inspiration for composers throughout the ages. In his Impressionistic masterpiece La Mer, Debussy conveys his personal memories of the sea, which he still preferred to experience through art and literature as an adult.  

The ocean is also tangibly present in Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from the opera Peter Grimes. The action revolves around a lonely fisherman off the British east coast who was persecuted by locals after two of his trainees died under mysterious circumstances.

Without hesitation, Daniel Börtz is one of Sweden’s most essential composers. His mighty Sinfonia 13, which had its world premiere here at Konserthuset in 2019, was acclaimed by critics for its hypnotic power and heartfelt beauty. For Börtz, “the blue building on Hötorget” is something of a second home. A major highlight this year – the year of his 80th birthday – is the world premiere of his Sinfonia 15, dedicated to the musicians of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by American conductor Ryan Bancroft, who is chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra as of this season

The sea has been an important source of inspiration for composers throughout the ages. In his Impressionistic masterpiece La Mer, Debussy conveys his personal memories of the sea, which he still preferred to experience through art and literature as an adult.  

The ocean is also tangibly present in Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from the opera Peter Grimes. The action revolves around a lonely fisherman off the British east coast who was persecuted by locals after two of his trainees died under mysterious circumstances.

Without hesitation, Daniel Börtz is one of Sweden’s most essential composers. His mighty Sinfonia 13, which had its world premiere here at Konserthuset in 2019, was acclaimed by critics for its hypnotic power and heartfelt beauty. For Börtz, “the blue building on Hötorget” is something of a second home. A major highlight this year – the year of his 80th birthday – is the world premiere of his Sinfonia 15, dedicated to the musicians of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by American conductor Ryan Bancroft, who is chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra as of this season

A new piano concerto by Anders Hillborg! The Max Concerto is written for and dedicated to the outstanding American pianist Emanuel Ax – known among friends as “Manny Ax,” resulting in the title Max. Ax gave the world performance of Hillborg’s second piano concerto in November with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen. This is the European premiere, led by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s chief conductor Ryan Bancroft.   

From piano to winds. Note the plural form of Stravinsky’s “symphonies” of wind instruments: this is not about symphonic music, but harmonic sounds – from the Greek symphonia, union of sound. What began as a piano piece in memory of Debussy became an original work for woodwinds and brass, with a kind of ritualistic, mass-like character.

During a hectic summer three years before his death, Mozart composed his last three symphonies. The forty-first symphony, his most grandiose, was also his last. The finale is one of Mozart’s greatest achievements – an unparalleled listening adventure, filled with captivating melodies and finesses of counterpoint. The symphony is called Jupiter, after the Roman god.

A new piano concerto by Anders Hillborg! The Max Concerto is written for and dedicated to the outstanding American pianist Emanuel Ax – known among friends as “Manny Ax,” resulting in the title Max. Ax gave the world performance of Hillborg’s second piano concerto in November with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen. This is the European premiere, led by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s chief conductor Ryan Bancroft.   

From piano to winds. Note the plural form of Stravinsky’s “symphonies” of wind instruments: this is not about symphonic music, but harmonic sounds – from the Greek symphonia, union of sound. What began as a piano piece in memory of Debussy became an original work for woodwinds and brass, with a kind of ritualistic, mass-like character.

During a hectic summer three years before his death, Mozart composed his last three symphonies. The forty-first symphony, his most grandiose, was also his last. The finale is one of Mozart’s greatest achievements – an unparalleled listening adventure, filled with captivating melodies and finesses of counterpoint. The symphony is called Jupiter, after the Roman god.

In Rachmaninoff’s very last work, Symphonic Dances, he dreams of the Russia of his childhood. In addition, we hear American Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw’s dreamy and imaginative Entr’acte – music inspired by a string quartet by Joseph Haydn. Caroline Shaw describes how some music can transport the listener to another world, like the minuets of Haydn’s op. 77, “in a kind of absurd, subtle, technicolour transition,” she says.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by award-winning American conductor Ryan Bancroft, who is chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra as of this season.

Since winning the famous Chopin Competition in 2015, South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho has been one of the most in-demand soloists in the world. At this concert, he performs Saint-Saëns’ colourful Piano Concerto No. 5. Saint-Saëns himself remarked that this piece is reminiscent of a voyage on the sea. The concerto was composed in Luxor and because of those influences, it is often referred to as The Egyptian. 

We also hear Rachmaninoff’s very last work: Symphonic Dances, in which he dreams of the Russia of his childhood. In addition, we hear American Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw’s dreamy and imaginative Entr’acte – music inspired by a string quartet by Joseph Haydn. Caroline Shaw describes how some music can transport the listener to another world, like the minuets of Haydn’s op. 77, “in a kind of absurd, subtle, technicolour transition,” she says.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by award-winning American conductor Ryan Bancroft, who is chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra as of this season.

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is a musical firework, with dazzling cascades of chords and ultra-fast runs across the full register of the piano. At this concert, those rockets are fired off by acclaimed British pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason. 

Felix Mendelssohn was only seventeen years old when he composed his wonderfully bright and quick-paced overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It is nevertheless considered one of his first mature masterpieces. The action in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream revolves around masculinity, femininity, love and fertility. And even if Felix’ own experiences in the area were probably relatively limited, he conveys in this music the emotional register that Shakespeare presents in his beloved comedy.

The concert concludes with the Confession of Isobel Gowdie by Scottish composer James MacMillan (born 1959). The music revolves around Isobel Gowdie, who confessed to witchcraft in 1662. The work was an enormous success at its world premiere at a Proms concert in 1990. 

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by award-winning American conductor Ryan Bancroft, who is chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra as of this season.

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is a musical firework, with dazzling cascades of chords and ultra-fast runs across the full register of the piano. At this concert, those rockets are fired off by acclaimed British pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason. 

Felix Mendelssohn was only seventeen years old when he composed his wonderfully bright and quick-paced overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It is nevertheless considered one of his first mature masterpieces. The action in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream revolves around masculinity, femininity, love and fertility. And even if Felix’ own experiences in the area were probably relatively limited, he conveys in this music the emotional register that Shakespeare presents in his beloved comedy.

The concert concludes with the Confession of Isobel Gowdie by Scottish composer James MacMillan (born 1959). The music revolves around Isobel Gowdie, who confessed to witchcraft in 1662. The work was an enormous success at its world premiere at a Proms concert in 1990. 

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by award-winning American conductor Ryan Bancroft, who is chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra as of this season.

With these concerts, Ryan Bancroft completes his first season as chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. And he does so with a key number that is close to his heart: Stravinsky’s The Firebird – not the often-played suite, but the complete ballet music from 1910. “It’s an enormous orchestra and the best version,” says Bancroft. 

This also marks a step in the recordings of Stravinsky’s ballets Petrushka, The Firebird and The Rite of Spring – Bancroft and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s first recordings together. 

It is possible that Lili Boulanger heard at least one of these Stravinsky ballets, all of which premiered in her home city of Paris in the early twentieth century. First, we hear Lili Boulanger’s D’un matin de printemps – one of the last works this young genius composed before passing away much too young in 1918, at just 24 years old. Despite the circumstances, this is bright music with light and playful steps.  

Åland-born soprano Sofie Asplund is doubly present in Konserthuset this season: both in a lied concert and on this occasion, when she sings arias by Mozart. Asplund has garnered a great deal of acclaim in recent years and has been praised for several of her interpretations of roles on Sweden’s opera stages. 

With these concerts, Ryan Bancroft completes his first season as chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. And he does so with a key number that is close to his heart: Stravinsky’s The Firebird – not the often-played suite, but the complete ballet music from 1910. “It’s an enormous orchestra and the best version,” says Bancroft. 

This also marks a step in the recordings of Stravinsky’s ballets Petrushka, The Firebird and The Rite of Spring – Bancroft and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s first recordings together. 

It is possible that Lili Boulanger heard at least one of these Stravinsky ballets, all of which premiered in her home city of Paris in the early twentieth century. First, we hear Lili Boulanger’s D’un matin de printemps – one of the last works this young genius composed before passing away much too young in 1918, at just 24 years old. Despite the circumstances, this is bright music with light and playful steps.  

Åland-born soprano Sofie Asplund is doubly present in Konserthuset this season: both in a lied concert and on this occasion, when she sings arias by Mozart. Asplund has garnered a great deal of acclaim in recent years and has been praised for several of her interpretations of roles on Sweden’s opera stages.