Strauss’ four last songs

Summer concert with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, which was founded in 1902 and has had its home stage at Konserthuset Stockholm since 1926, when it was newly built. German daily newspaper Die Welt wrote that the orchestra was “one of the world’s best orchestras” after a recent tour. Here we will hear the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra with soprano Christina Nilsson, an international success whose career had a rocket launch.

When she performed Richard Strauss’ beautiful Vier letzte Lieder with piano here at Konserthuset, the reviewer in Dagens Nyheter proclaimed: “Nilsson’s singing is divinely beautiful.” We will now hear her in this incredible, sensual and dreamy music with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.

Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel – Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s older sister – was extremely prolific. In addition to vocal music and a large quantity of chamber music pieces, she composed the vivid overture which begins the concert.

The list of composers inspired by Shakespeare is extensive. The comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream in particular has captured the interest of composers. This wonderfully bright and briskly paced overture was composed by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy at the age of seventeen. The legend of Don Juan has also inspired music. Here, we will hear Richard Strauss’ presentation of the man who ultimately meets his fate.