Programme

Violinist Amus Kerstin Andersson is a familiar face in the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and serves as alternating principal of the second violin section (here replacing the previously announced Bo-Gustaf Thorell). She takes the stage to form a trio together with the young cellist Daniel Thorell – who completed his soloist diploma at the Norwegian Academy of Music under Torleif Thedéen and has won numerous national and international competitions – and the orchestra’s pianist Stefan Lindgren.

Johannes Brahms' first piano trio has almost symphonic proportions. After critical comments from Clara Schumann, Brahms' great and unfortunate love, this trio was almost consigned to the flames. Luckily, the self-critical Brahms revised the music instead, several decades after its first publication, and it is that version that we hear here.

Laura Netzel's (1839–1927) romantic music gained great attention during the 19th century, especially in France where she had studied under the famous Charles-Marie Widor. In the early 20th century, she was one of Sweden's most successful composers internationally and broke new ground with her piano concerto. The programme opens with her warmly lyrical and romantic Serenade for piano trio.

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Menu: Cauliflower soup with roasted pine nuts. The soup is served with sourdough bread, crispbread, butter, mineral water/light beer, coffee/tea, and a chocolate piece. Wine and beer available for purchase for those who wish.

All soups are lactose- and gluten-free. Please inform us of any dietary requirements when booking.

Konserthuset Stockholm at Hötorget is one of Sweden’s great architectural masterpieces. Created during a period of expansion in Stockholm, by the Swedish architect Ivar Tengbom, it opened in 1926. Konserthuset Stockholm was built for the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and has since the start been the dedicated venue for the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony as well as many other prestigious events.

• The guided tour is held in Swedish.
• Maximum 25 persons/tour.

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Subtitles
Subtitles in English and Swedish is activated by using the CC control in the video player.

Internationally acclaimed and National award-winning Indian singer Mahesh Kale is on a world tour and performing at Konserthuset Stockholm for the first time. 

Mahesh Kale builds a natural bridge between Indian traditions and global audiences. His versatility includes genres such as fusion, film music, semi-classical music, Hindustani classical music, Natya Sangeet, Bhajan and soul-stirring Abhanga.

With performances in multiple languages, including Marathi, Hindi, Sanskrit, Gujarati, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and more, his concerts transcend linguistic and cultural borders and convey the innermost soul of Indian music to audiences worldwide. Mahesh Kale promises an unforgettable musical experience, with gripping interpretations of Abhanga – devotional poetry with enchanting melodies.

With hypnotic artistry, Mahesh Kale unites the dedicated power of Abhangs – devotional songs for the god Vithoba, a form of Krishna in Hinduism – and Wari, which means a pilgrimage or journey to a holy place. He calls this AbhangWari, a harmonious combination that honours the rich legacy of spiritual music and captivates audiences around the world. 

Follow along on a spiritual and musical journey and allow yourself to be swept away by AbhangWari.

Composer Mats Larsson Gothe has had significant success in recent years, including with the opera Löftet ("The Promise") at the Royal Swedish Opera. Already in 2016, he was the focus of Konserthuset’s Composer Weekend Festival. Here, we hear the world premiere of a new cello concerto, featuring internationally renowned Torleif Thedéen as the cello soloist. "The cello concerto for Torleif captures everything that a cello can convey: longing, dreams, pain, and melancholy – but also anger and resignation. I have used the full range of expression", Mats Larsson Gothe explains.

The cello concerto is preceded by music by Elfrida Andrée, a Swedish pioneer around the turn of the last century and the first female cathedral organist. She followed in the footsteps of her teacher Ludvig Norman but was also strongly influenced by composers like Beethoven. Additionally, she was a conductor and herself led at least one famous performance of this majestic Concert Overture in D major.

After hearing Sibelius' second symphony, Stenhammar experienced an artistic crisis. He withdrew his first symphony and sought new paths. In the second symphony, he allows the Nordic elements to take more prominence: in several places, Swedish folk music shines through. Stenhammar's ambition to write "sober and honest music without superficiality" had succeeded.

The orchestra is led by Johannes Gustavsson, who has conducted many of the country's foremost orchestras – the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra most recently in spring 2023. He is the Chief Conductor of the Jönköping Sinfonietta and has previously been the Chief Conductor of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra in Finland and at Wermland Opera.

In a completely new manner from before, Beethoven infused his second symphony with surprising effects. The orchestra swiftly switches between the faintest of whispers to thunderous outbursts in sudden turns. Here, wild humor and dramatic mood abound. Portuguese conductor Dinis Sousa leads the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in this symphonic milestone.

The concert appropriately commences with an overture: Dvorák's powerful and darkly evocative Othello – one of three concert overtures Dvorák wrote to musically portray various aspects of human existence.

The young British pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason (born 2003) makes her debut with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. She is at the beginning of a flourishing career and performs here with the romantically grandiose piano concerto by American composer Florence Price (1887–1953) – music never before heard in Konserthuset.

Jeneba Kanneh-Mason is the sister of cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason – who performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – and pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason. Both have previously appeared at Konserthuset. They are three of seven extremely talented siblings often referred to as The Kanneh-Masons.

The young German-Romanian baritone Konstantin Krimmel won several competitions early in his career and is now part of the ensemble at the Bayerische Staatsoper. From 2021 to 2023, he was a BBC New Generation Artist.

Lied singing is an important part of his artistry, and he has recorded songs by composers such as Schubert and Silvestrov on a couple of CDs with pianist Hélène Grimaud. For his debut at Konserthuset, he performs songs by Brahms, Vaughan Williams, and Schubert.

Magnus Svensson is the artistic director of Konserthuset’s Lied concerts. In addition to concerts in the Nordic region and elsewhere in Europe, he has also performed in Russia and the US. Since 2012, he has also worked at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music with re-publishing older Swedish music.

Franz Schubert was only around 17–18 years old when he wrote his second symphony. Yet it is an impressive work in the spirit of Beethoven. In other words, it is music full of contrasts and captivating melodies.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by Franz Welser-Möst, who in 2018 was awarded the title Eric Ericson Honorary Chair. Since 2020, he regularly conducts the orchestra. It is a collaboration that follows the bond that developed between the orchestra and conductor during the initial concerts together, and has deepened over the years.

A composer who holds a special place in Welser-Möst's heart is Richard Strauss. Here, he leads the orchestra in An Alpine Symphony, which, despite the title, is not a traditional symphony but a tone poem that depicts a dramatic journey up and down an Alpine mountain, with changing weather and nature immersions. To portray the adventure, Strauss prescribes an enormous orchestra – including cowbells, wind and thunder machines, and an extra-large brass section.

Konserthuset Stockholm at Hötorget is one of Sweden’s great architectural masterpieces. Created during a period of expansion in Stockholm, by the Swedish architect Ivar Tengbom, it opened in 1926. Konserthuset Stockholm was built for the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and has since the start been the dedicated venue for the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony as well as many other prestigious events.

• The guided tour is held in Swedish.
• Maximum 25 persons/tour.

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Subtitles
Subtitles in English and Swedish is activated by using the CC control in the video player.

Franz Schubert was only around 17–18 years old when he wrote his second symphony. Yet it is an impressive work in the spirit of Beethoven. In other words, it is music full of contrasts and captivating melodies.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is led by Franz Welser-Möst, who in 2018 was awarded the title Eric Ericson Honorary Chair. Since 2020, he regularly conducts the orchestra. It is a collaboration that follows the bond that developed between the orchestra and conductor during the initial concerts together, and has deepened over the years.

A composer who holds a special place in Welser-Möst's heart is Richard Strauss. Here, he leads the orchestra in An Alpine Symphony, which, despite the title, is not a traditional symphony but a tone poem that depicts a dramatic journey up and down an Alpine mountain, with changing weather and nature immersions. To portray the adventure, Strauss prescribes an enormous orchestra – including cowbells, wind and thunder machines, and an extra-large brass section.

With views over central Stockholm, illuminated as night falls, our guides share stories about Konserthuset Stockholm, the concert hall in the heart of the city. Seeing Stockholm from the rooftop terrace is a popular experience!

Please note

• Limited accessibility due to steep stairs.
• Minimum age: 7 years for safety reasons.
• Bags larger than A4 size (approx. 30x20 cm) are not permitted inside the Concert Hall during Culture Night.

Rooftop tour tickets

• The tour is free of charge but requires a ticket.
• Tickets can be collected at the Concert Hall’s main entrance on 26 April from 17.45 (entrance via Hötorget).
• The rooftop tours are popular, so make sure to arrive early to get a ticket.
  10 people per group every 15 minutes.

When you have a ticket

Please arrive 5 minutes before the start of the tour – otherwise, your spot may be given to someone on the waiting list.

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Subtitles for the film

The film above is subtitled in Swedish and English. You can activate the subtitles by clicking the “CC” button in the bottom right corner of the video player.