In all three works, the vocal element takes centre stage. Soprano soloist in two of the pieces is Alexandra Büchel – one of our foremost interpreters of contemporary music, among other genres. This spring, she appears at Norrlandsoperan in the newly composed opera Älskarinnorna by Jenny Wilson, based on Elfriede Jelinek’s novel Women as Lovers (Die Liebhaberinnen).

Vägar, flyktvägar (Paths, Escape Routes) for soprano and percussion by Ylva Q Arkvik is a triptych exploring themes of captivity in the past, the longing to flee from and to something new, and the magic of liberation in an unexpected moment. The poems are taken from an upcoming collection by playwright, librettist, and author Kerstin Perski. The music captures the dreamlike quality of the texts.

Omnia tempus habent (Everything Has Its Time) is Arne Mellnäs’s setting of the text from Ecclesiastes. Composed for solo soprano, it conveys a consoling message in both words and music: hardship is temporary, and light will return. The piece, best performed in a venue with generous acoustics, was premiered in 1972 at Visby Cathedral by Marianne Mellnäs.

Jag märker allting (I Notice Everything) by Hans Gefors is a cantata in a prologue and twelve movements, with actor Hannes Meidal as narrator, guiding us through the music. As vocal soloist, we hear countertenor Elias Aaron Johansson. Gefors weaves together lines from Strindberg’s pilgrimage play To Damascus with poems by the 20th-century Spanish poet Juan Ramón Jiménez. The work is inspired by the Baroque cantata tradition, reflected both in its structure and instrumentation: narration, countertenor, a small choir, two violins, cello, percussion, and theorbo.

In collaboration with Swedish Music Spring. The concert is produced in partnership with the Society of Swedish Composers.

Tchaikovsky composed his fifth symphony during a few summer months in 1888. He had complained of lacking inspiration in the spring: "Am I burned out? No ideas, no desire?" But the fifth became a vital, emotionally charged, and in many respects brilliant symphony. It premiered under the composer's direction at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in November of the same year.

The concert begins with Swedish composer Andrea Tarrodi's Liguria, music that takes us on a journey between five small fishing villages clinging to the cliffs along Italy's northwestern coast.

Read more about chief conductor Ryan Bancroft

Sibelius's violin concerto is now the most performed of all violin concertos from the 20th century. Yet its musical language belongs to the late 19th century, and the music is warm and lyrical, dramatic and melancholic. Sibelius, himself a violinist, possibly wrote the concerto he himself would have wanted to play – albeit on a technical level far beyond his own. In this way, the violin concerto can be seen as a farewell to the youthful dreams of a career as a violin virtuoso. It is among the more challenging in the genre, as many violinists have attested.

Taking on the challenge is the young award-winning violinist Maria Ioudenitch. In 2021, she won first prize in the prestigious Ysaÿe International Music Competition and the same year also the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition. Maria Ioudenitch was born in Russia but moved to the USA with her family at the age of two.

Tchaikovsky composed his fifth symphony during a few summer months in 1888. He had complained about a lack of inspiration in the spring: "Am I burned out? No ideas, no desire?" But the fifth became a vital, emotionally charged, and in many respects brilliant symphony. It premiered under the composer's direction at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in November of the same year.

The concert opens with the Swedish composer Andrea Tarrodis's Liguria, music that takes us on a journey between five small fishing villages clinging to the cliffs along Italy's northwest coast.

Read more about chief conductor Ryan Bancroft