Nordic beauty

Sibelius' Fifth Symphony is his most performed and beloved. He already felt during its composition that he was creating something great. ”Have received a wonderful theme”, he noted in a diary entry. He had seen sixteen swans, which gave him the idea for the magnificent theme in the final movement. ”One of the great experiences of my life! My God, what beauty.” 

The orchestra is led by the Latvian conductor Aivis Greters, who has conducted the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra a couple of times in recent years. As a prelude to Sibelius after the interval, we hear the latest orchestral work by the Swedish composer Jacob Mühlrad. The world premiere of Resil was recently performed by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and here the work is presented for the first time in a version for a large symphony orchestra.

The composer, pianist, and conductor Adolf Wiklund's two piano concertos are among the best Swedish works in their genre. The first concerto from 1906 is grandly romantic in the footsteps of Rachmaninov, spiced with a touch of Grieg and a pinch of his friend Stenhammar. Wiklund was also the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra's second conductor, from 1925 to 1938.

As the soloist in Wiklund's first piano concerto, we have the versatile pianist Magnus Svensson. He performs concerts both in Sweden and internationally. He has particularly immersed himself in the art lieder and is the artistic director for Konserthuset’s series of lied concerts. Since 2012, he has also been working at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music with re-publishing older Swedish music.