Brahms Violin Concerto

We warmly welcome back the phenomenal violinist Johan Dalene, who has already taken the classical music world by storm through competition wins and acclaimed recordings. Here, he performs Brahms’ magnificent Violin Concerto – a work overflowing with melody and rich in harmonic adventures that venture far off the beaten path. It’s stunningly beautiful music – at times euphoric and even dance-like in its joy.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by its Chief Conductor, Ryan Bancroft, who brings his third season with the orchestra to a close. He does so with a true speciality: Stravinsky’s ballet Petrushka – which, incidentally, Bancroft has also danced, having a background in dance.

The concert version of Petrushka, heard here, unfolds in four scenes performed without pause. The setting is a bustling winter fairground in Russia. Among the attractions is a traditional puppet theatre, and when Stravinsky composed the music, he imagined a puppet coming to life and challenging the orchestra’s patience. Petrushka is a variation on the stock character of Italian commedia dell’arte – but in an entirely different world.

The concert opens with an orchestral work by French-born composer and musician Aurélie Ferrière. Now based in Sweden and Austria, she has long been involved in cross-disciplinary and experimental projects.

Read more about chief conductor Ryan Bancroft