Programme

In the entertaining Epiphany Concert, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by the British conductor John Wilson. He is an authority on film music and has reconstructed and arranged many classic soundtracks for concert settings. Since 1994, Wilson leads his own hand-picked orchestra, specializing in film and musicals, and performs annually at The Proms summer festival.

The Twelfth Night Concert 2023 was a resounding success when British conductor John Wilson led the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in a program blending seductive film music with the best from the world of musicals. Therefore, it is with great pleasure that we welcome him back in a programme featuring irresistible musical hits by the very best in the genre – Bernstein, Sondheim, Gershwin, and Rodgers & Hammerstein, among others.

On vocals: the British actor and musical star Julian Ovenden. He has appeared in television series in both England and the USA and participated in numerous famous musical productions on Broadway in New York and in the West End in London. He has also performed on several occasions at Proms concerts alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

The concert will be recorded by SVT and broadcast later the same day, Sunday 5 January 2025, with a repeat on Saturday 11 January 2025.

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As traditional as the concert itself is the dance afterwards in the Grünewald Hall. This time with Laszlo Royale – the band, led by singer Malena Laszlo, that has provided entertainment at countless Nobel banquets!

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Menu

Puff pastry roll with mushrooms and shaved pecorino
Bouchée with crayfish Skagen, vendace roe, and dill
Cold poached salmon with dill mayonnaise
French potato salad with capers, spring onion, and a creamy dressing
Romaine lettuce with pickled cucumber, feta cheese, spring onion, and dill
Two types of cheese – Taleggio and Cheddar, served with marmalade
Bread, crispbread & whipped butter

Served with a glass of wine, beer, or a non-alcoholic alternative.

The Polstjärnepriset Symphony Orchestra is one of the leading symphony orchestras for young musicians in the Nordic region. It comprises some of the most talented young musicians of today. The soloist who wins the Polstjärnepriset competition will represent Sweden in Eurovision Young Musicians – Europe’s largest competition for young classical musicians, watched by millions of TV viewers across the continent.

In recent years, the orchestra has enjoyed a series of successes – including a performance at the 2023 Baltic Sea Festival in Berwaldhallen, conducted by none other than Esa-Pekka Salonen. 

The Polstjärnepriset is both a soloist competition and a course for young musicians aged 14–18, alternating each year between a Nordic and a Swedish edition. All twenty competitors and sixty course participants in the most recent Nordic edition make up the symphony orchestra. After the competition’s grand final at the Gothenburg Concert Hall, it is now time to present themselves in Stockholm.

In addition to solo performances by the winner of the 2025 competition and other finalists, the programme includes Antonín Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World, and music for string orchestra by Béla Bartók and Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel. The Polstjärnepriset Symphony Orchestra is led by Swedish conductor Andreas van Tol.

Clara Schumann's piano concerto is stunningly beautiful and a sparkling fireworks display. She was one of the most admired and influential pianists of the 19th century, performing in the same league as Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt. In the concerto, we also hear the inspiration from Chopin, whom she preferred over Liszt. Clara Schumann was only 16 years old when she premiered the virtuosic concerto herself in Leipzig in 1835.

The soloist in Clara Schumann's piano concerto is the Romanian-British pianist Alexandra Dariescu, known for her expressive playing as well as her advocacy for female composers. Around the same time Clara performed her piano concerto, she met her future husband Robert, one of the great figures of Romantic music. His impassioned overture to the incidental music for Manfred is based on Lord Byron's dramatic poem.

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was a friend of Clara and Robert Schumann – also a great Romantic with a particular sense for melodic beauty. This is evident in his Fifth Symphony, which is also a tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach. Swedish conductor Magnus Fryklund makes his debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with this concert. Educated in Denmark, he has made a name for himself particularly as a skilled opera conductor, including in France.

Take this chance to try out various instruments throughout the house during the Open House. Teachers and students from Lilla Akademien will answer your questions, help you with the instruments and show you how they work.

Please note

Strollers and prams cannot be brought into Konserthuset Stockholm and are best left at home. A designated stroller tent is set up outside the entrance, where prams can be left, subject to space availability.

Reactional Music is a platform that connects music and gaming by enabling music to react in real time to events in a game’s progression. Players can control their own audio experience, while composers can create music that perfectly aligns with the gameplay.

The Hyperorgan is a project that connects pipe organs around the world to enable real-time musical collaboration across great distances. Musicians can use the organs to create music together.

Please note

Strollers and prams cannot be brought into Konserthuset Stockholm and are best left at home. A designated stroller tent is set up outside the entrance, where prams can be left, subject to space availability.

The guide presents the fantastic Grünewald Hall, its origins, and adornments by the painter Isaac Grünewald (1889–1946).

In this hall, with 460 seats, chamber music is mainly played, but also jazz, choral singing, global music, and concerts for young children. The paintings of the artist Isaac Grünewald decorate the ceiling as well as the walls. The motifs are inspired by the myths of classical Greece and the history of music.

More information about the Grünewald Hall

Please note

Strollers and prams cannot be brought into Konserthuset Stockholm and are best left at home. A designated stroller tent is set up outside the entrance, where prams can be left, subject to space availability.

The humorous and captivating story of Peter and the Wolf is undoubtedly the most beloved musical tale ever created. Based on a Russian folktale, Sergei Prokofiev's remarkable music has entertained generations of children and adults since its premiere in 1936.

Peter lives a simple life on a farm with his grandfather. He is an outcast among the local children, and his best friends are a bird, a cat, and a slightly scatterbrained duck. Despite his grandfather’s warnings, Peter takes his friends into the alluring but dangerous forest, where the wolf is lurking.

Each character is musically portrayed by a different instrument. The cat is a softly prowling clarinet, the duck a quacking oboe, the grandfather is heard through the bassoon, and the wolf is brought to life by three menacing French horns. To help children learn what the different instruments look and sound like, the performance begins with an introduction by each instrument.

The performance also features illustrations by the legendary artist Ilon Wikland, renowned for her long collaboration with Astrid Lindgren.

Please note

Strollers and prams cannot be brought into Konserthuset Stockholm and are best left at home. A designated stroller tent is set up outside the entrance, where prams can be left, subject to space availability.

Mini are concerts for children aged three to five. Up close and together with music educator Ida Lod, children get to discover the orchestra’s instruments in a classical concert held in the beautiful Grünewald Hall.

Please note

Strollers and prams cannot be brought into Konserthuset Stockholm and are best left at home. A designated stroller tent is set up outside the entrance, where prams can be left, subject to space availability.

The Norwegian Jostein Stalheim is active as a composer, accordionist, and "sound painter." He is also a professor at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. Here, we hear the first sections of his newly composed work, where the musicians employ innovative technical solutions.

Please note

Strollers and prams cannot be brought into Konserthuset Stockholm and are best left at home. A designated stroller tent is set up outside the entrance, where prams can be left, subject to space availability.

Take this chance to try out various instruments throughout the house during the Open House. Teachers and students from Lilla Akademien will answer your questions, help you with the instruments and show you how they work.

Please note

Strollers and prams cannot be brought into Konserthuset Stockholm and are best left at home. A designated stroller tent is set up outside the entrance, where prams can be left, subject to space availability.