Martin and Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

Frank Peter Zimmermann is one of the great violinists of our time, renowned for his beautiful tone and dazzling virtuosity. He has graced the stage at Konserthuset Stockholm many times before, and is always a warmly welcomed guest. On this occasion, he performs the stunning Violin Concerto by Swiss composer Frank Martin – a work brimming with lyrical beauty, vivid orchestral colours and rhythmic vitality.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by German conductor Anja Bihlmaier, Chief Conductor of the Residentie Orkest in the Netherlands and Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic. The concert opens with music by Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz, a highly successful figure in her time whose place in the repertoire is now firmly established. “I was obsessed with the idea of letting notes swell and then return to their original state,” she said of her shimmering Pensieri notturni – “night thoughts”.

When Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy undertook the grand tour expected of well-to-do young men of the era, he travelled to Scotland. The impression made by the wild beauty of the Highlands left a lasting mark, reflected in his Third Symphony – a work that vividly captures the Scottish atmosphere. The symphony is often referred to as the Scottish.