Beethoven and Nielsen

Beethoven's overture to Heinrich Joseph von Collin's tragic drama about the Roman general Coriolanus is grandiose and dramatic, yet also enchantingly beautiful. It is written in the key of C minor, which Beethoven often used in his most intense and heroic works.

With Nielsen, humour is often present. This is particularly true for his second symphony, which was inspired by a visit to a village inn. On the wall hung a painting that ironically depicted the four temperaments of humans – the choleric, the phlegmatic, the melancholic, and the sanguine – which Nielsen portrays with good humour, a touch of drama, and palpable warmth in his second symphony, also known as the "Four Temperaments".

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by Alan Gilbert, the orchestra's former chief conductor (2000–2008) and since then its Conductor Laureate. He has served as the music director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and is currently the chief conductor of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in Hamburg and the music director of the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm.