Members of the Orchestra

Experience Johann Sebastian Bach's magnificent Christmas Oratorio! To the thunder of timpani and jubilant trumpets, it is proclaimed in the magnificent opening that Jesus is born.

It's easy to be misled by the title Christmas Oratorio, as if it were a single work intended to be performed at one occasion, Christmas Eve. That's far from the case. In fact, the Christmas Oratorio consists of six different parts, intended to be performed at as many occasions around Christmas. Today, as in this concert, it's customary to perform the first three parts, which were first performed together at a concert in Leipzig, in the days around Christmas 1735.

Delving into Bach's music is to venture into an unfathomable and fascinating musical universe. We constantly discover new things, and it never ends. Spend a few hours with Bach's Christmas Oratorio. It's a magnificent experience.

The Italian baroque specialist and conductor Luca Guglielmi leads the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Eric Ericson's Chamber Choir, and the four soloists. Eric Ericson's Chamber Choir, formed in 1945, ranks among the top international professional ensembles. Since 2003, the choir has had a close collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

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.

***

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!

***

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.

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.