Enjoy a sensational season from the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at home
Konserthuset Play is your online concert hall, featuring world-class performances by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and many more
Founded in 1902, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra has been performing at the highest level for more than a century. With famous names such as Vaclav Talich, Fritz Busch and Antal Dorati on its prestigious list of former chief conductors, today it continues to enjoy international success under the baton of Sakari Oramo.
Oramo and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s recordings together include a cycle of Schumann’s symphonies in 2010 and 2011 that enjoyed worldwide acclaim, as well as a cycle of Nielsen’s symphonies in 2013 and 2014. The recording of Nielsen’s Symphonies Nos 1 and 3 won a prestigious BBC Music Magazine Award in 2016.
The partnership is every bit as vibrant on the live stage, and despite the challenging situation, the program for 2021 is as thrilling and imaginative as ever. This spring, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is presenting a series of weekly concerts directly from the Konserthuset, each of which is available to live-stream on Konserthuset Play, a free online video service. Featuring well-known guest conductors, soloists and performers, each will be an enriching and unique experience that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home.
Easy listening
You don’t need a registered account to access Konserthuset Play – simply visit the website and discover all of the wonderful performances that are available to watch wherever and whenever you like.
Alternatively, you can download the free Konserthuset Play app for a convenient way to access the vast music library from your smartphone or tablet. The app offers a range of useful features, and you can even watch the videos on a larger screen using Chromecast or Airplay, as well as mark your favourite renditions, so you can easily find them again.
Highlights with Oramo on Konserthuset Play
Summer of 1915
Best known for his haunting Adagio for Strings of 1936, Samuel Barber’s richly sensuous yet characterful orchestral and vocal style made him one of the most distinctive US composers of the 20th century. His Knoxville: Summer of 1915 shows him at his lyrical, luxurious best as he sets a dreamily evocative text by the American author James Agee in a 15-minute work for soprano and orchestra. Here, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Sakari Oramo are joined by soprano Johanna Wallroth, winner of the prestigious Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition.
Ravel with Oramo
Born to a Swiss father and a Basque mother, Maurice Ravel’s varied musical influences included jazz and the sounds of the orient. That richly colourful world, however, was also matched by brilliant orchestral craftmanship and minute attention to detail. Here, Sakari Oramo conducts the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in some of the Frenchman’s finest works, including the bluesy Piano Concerto in G major, with Bertrand Chamayou as soloist, and the Baroque period-inspired Le Tombeau de Couperin, composed in 1917 as a heartfelt tribute to friends who had fallen in World War I.
Jansen plays Mendelssohn
In this livestream, world-renowned violinist Janine Jansen takes the stage with Sakari Oramo and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra to perform Mendelssohn’s lyrical and uplifting Violin Concerto. A hugely popular work, it includes some of the composer’s most exquisite melodic writing plus some virtuoso fireworks from the soloist in the final movement. The feelgood factor will then continue as the orchestra performs Schumann’s joyful Symphony No.2. All four movements of this piece end in C major, almost as if Schumann wanted to insist that life itself should be in that bright key.
Grande finale
After 13 successful years as chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Oramo celebrates the end of this partnership in May 2021 with a series of four spectacular performances that you can livestream on Konserthuset Play. His final concerts are an in-depth journey through the uniquely atmospheric music of Sibelius, including all seven symphonies in chronological order. There will also be performances from leading soloists including violinist Lisa Batiashvili, soprano Anu Komsi and cellist Johannes Rostamo.