Håkan turns 60!

Håkan Hardenberger, conductor and perhaps the world’s foremost trumpet player of the classical scene, has had a close collaboration with Konserthuset Stockholm for decades. He has appeared at Konserthuset nearly 60 times as a soloist, or as soloist and conductor. He is now turning 60 years old and is celebrating with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra with works such as Haydn’s well-known and beloved trumpet concerto. The concert will begin with Haydn’s Chaos, the large-scale, dramatic introduction to the oratorio The Creation.

Through his numerous commissions and world premieres, Håkan Hardenberger is an innovator of the trumpet repertoire. Many of the most famous composers in the world have written pieces specifically for him, such as the atmospheric master Toru Takemitsu (1931–1996), who was often inspired by his surroundings. In addition to pure musical impulses from jazz, pop, and avant-garde style, he was also inspired by nature and stories.

His piece Paths is dedicated to Håkan Hardenberger, but it also pays tribute to composer Witold Lutoslawski. Hardenberger has therefore chosen to conclude the concert with Lutoslawski’s Concerto for Orchestra, a modern twentieth-century classic that brings out the virtuosic potential of the symphony orchestra.