100 Years in Blue

In the spring of 1926, Konserthuset Stockholm was inaugurated – architect Ivar Tengbom’s blue building remains one of the finest examples of Swedish 1920s neoclassicism. It was one of the country’s very first buildings constructed specifically for orchestral music, and it also became the new home of the Nobel Prize award ceremony.

Konserthuset was built to provide a permanent home for the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, which at the time had already been active for over two decades. Until then, the orchestra had primarily been based in the Auditorium – a converted gas holder near Norra Bantorget. At the inaugural concert on 7 April 1926, the programme included Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony. This is the direct reason why, nearly 100 years later to the day, the same work features once again on the programme.

Yes, Konserthuset Stockholm is turning 100, and the 2026/27 season will be a celebratory one (marking 100 years of the building and 125 years of the orchestra). Alongside Beethoven’s Seventh, the concert also features Hilding Rosenberg’s Dance Suite from the ballet Orpheus in the City – a story about the statue of Orpheus on Hötorget, just outside the Konserthuset, suddenly coming to life and fleeing the square. The suite was premiered by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in the spring of 1940.

The concert also includes the world premiere of a new cello concerto by this season’s featured composer, Tebogo Monnakgotla. The soloist is Finnish cellist Senja Rummukainen, making her debut with the orchestra under the baton of Andrew Manze – a cherished and frequent guest of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic.