Christmas gifts

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 Epiphany 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, perhaps 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.

The Jussen brothers made a splash at Konserthuset in 2023 when they debuted with a program for four-handed piano. "Something quite extraordinary in front of a packed hall with an unusually young audience," wrote the reviewer for Dagens Nyheter, giving the concert the highest rating.

Now, the Jussen brothers return to the main stage, this time alongside the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Tabita Berglund in Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos. It’s music that carries Poulenc's signature: elegance, melodic warmth, and imagination.

The pair of Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare's drama are themselves the epitome of young love and intense, flaming passion with a tragic ending. With powerful chords and dramatic melodies, Prokofiev's well-known ballet music portrays the swirling emotions.

Between Poulenc and Prokofiev: Lili Boulanger's D'un soir triste, a sad evening, which from a quiet beginning grows strong and compelling. Outstanding and deeply personal music by the young and severely ill Lili, who died of Crohn's disease shortly after writing the music in 1918.

The Danish baroque specialists Concerto Copenhagen presents a programme centered around Händel and Roman. When the young Swedish violinist and composer Johan Helmich Roman embarked on a study trip to London in 1716, it would prove to be a journey that was decisive, not only for Roman’s life but for the entire history of Swedish music.

Roman came from the German-dominated music scene in Stockholm to London where the dominant musical trend was the Italian style, embodied in the recently arrived Georg Friedrich Händel. Roman was an active part of London’s musical life. He played in Händel’s orchestra at the King’s Theatre and met other musicians and composers, many of them from Italy. So, when Roman returned to Stockholm in 1721, he did so as a well-educated, modern-oriented musician and a brilliant violinist. Most importantly, as a composer, he had acquired a thorough understanding of new stylistic trends, not only in opera but also in instrumental music. 

Roman remained associated with the Swedish court orchestra throughout his life, and his stay in London not only affected ”the father of Swedish music,” as Roman is known today, but also changed the history of Swedish music.This program presents the music that ”the Swedish Händel,” Johan Helmich Roman, encountered in London, as well as the music he composed himself.