Archive Dive into the archive

Urban Claesson is principal clarinetist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra since 1995. He joined the orchestra in 1986 and has appeared as a soloist with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra on around 20 occasions, including Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and Sinfonia concertante for wind instruments, Bruch's Concerto for Clarinet, Viola and Orchestra and Corigliano's Clarinet Concerto. As a chamber musician, he has appeared with the Amadeus Quartet and the Britten Quartet, among others. Urban Claesson is also active as a teacher at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama.

Mårten Larsson was born in Örebro and trained at the Royal Academy of Music under Alf Nilsson. He has been a leading oboist in Sweden for many years and is solo oboist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. He has also been a member of the Stockholm Sinfonietta. Mårten Larsson teaches at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama and has released albums with music by Johan Helmich Roman, JS Bach and Keith Jarrett, among others.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Pianist Bengt Forsberg is a highly regarded and actively engaged chamber musician who collaborates with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, cellists Mats Lidström and Andreas Brantelid and violinist Nils-Erik Sparf. Together with Anne Sofie von Otter, he regularly performs concerts around the world and several of their recordings have been awarded prizes. Bengt Forsberg is often engaged as a soloist and has appeared with all major Swedish symphony orchestras and several foreign ones. He has been artistic director of chamber music at Allhelgonakyrkan in Stockholm as well as a frequent guest at Stockholms Konserthus. He can also be heard in Musikrevyn on P2.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Urban Claesson is principal clarinetist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra since 1995. He joined the orchestra in 1986 and has appeared as a soloist with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra on around 20 occasions, including Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and Sinfonia concertante for wind instruments, Bruch's Concerto for Clarinet, Viola and Orchestra and Corigliano's Clarinet Concerto. As a chamber musician, he has appeared with the Amadeus Quartet and the Britten Quartet, among others. Urban Claesson is also active as a teacher at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Pianist Bengt Forsberg is a highly regarded and actively engaged chamber musician who collaborates with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, cellists Mats Lidström and Andreas Brantelid and violinist Nils-Erik Sparf. Together with Anne Sofie von Otter, he regularly performs concerts around the world and several of their recordings have been awarded prizes. Bengt Forsberg is often engaged as a soloist and has appeared with all major Swedish symphony orchestras and several foreign ones. He has been artistic director of chamber music at Allhelgonakyrkan in Stockholm as well as a frequent guest at Stockholms Konserthus. He can also be heard in Musikrevyn on P2.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

The Gothenburg Symphony was formed in 1905 and today consists of 109 musicians. The orchestra's base is Gothenburg Concert Hall at Götaplatsen that has gathered music lovers since 1935. Since the 2019-2020 season, Barbara Hannigan is Principal guest conductor. We are also a proud partner of Barbara Hannigan's Equilibrium mentoring program focusing on young singers at the start of their careers. The title Principal Guest Conductor is shared by Pekka Kuusisto from 2025. Wilhelm Stenhammar was the orchestra's chief conductor from 1907 to 1922. He gave the orchestra a strong Nordic profile and invited colleagues Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius to the orchestra. Under the direction of conductor Neeme Järvi from 1982-2004, the orchestra made a series of international tours as well as a hundred disc recordings and established themselves among Europe's leading orchestras. In 1996, the Swedish Riksdag appointed the Gothenburg Symphony as Sweden's National Orchestra. In recent decades, the orchestra has had prominent chief conductors such as Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Mario Venzago and Gustavo Dudamel, following Kent Nagano as Principal Guest conductor. Anna-Karin Larsson is CEO and artistic director, Gustavo Dudamel honorary conductor and Neeme Järvi chief conductor emeritus. The orchestra's owner is the Västra Götaland Region. The Gothenburg Symphony works regularly with conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Joana Carneiro, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Christian Zacharias and Anja Bihlmaier.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Pianist Bengt Forsberg is a highly regarded and actively engaged chamber musician who collaborates with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, cellists Mats Lidström and Andreas Brantelid and violinist Nils-Erik Sparf. Together with Anne Sofie von Otter, he regularly performs concerts around the world and several of their recordings have been awarded prizes. Bengt Forsberg is often engaged as a soloist and has appeared with all major Swedish symphony orchestras and several foreign ones. He has been artistic director of chamber music at Allhelgonakyrkan in Stockholm as well as a frequent guest at Stockholms Konserthus. He can also be heard in Musikrevyn on P2.

Hans Hernqvist has been percussionist in the Gothenburg Symphony since 1991 and has participated in most productions and recordings as well as in chamber music contexts. After studying at the Malmö Academy of Music and at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, Hans worked as an orchestral musician and was employed as a percussionist in the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic before moving to the Gothenburg Symphony. Hans also teaches percussion and orchestral playing at the University of Gothenburg's School of Theater and Music.

Urban Claesson is principal clarinetist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra since 1995. He joined the orchestra in 1986 and has appeared as a soloist with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra on around 20 occasions, including Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and Sinfonia concertante for wind instruments, Bruch's Concerto for Clarinet, Viola and Orchestra and Corigliano's Clarinet Concerto. As a chamber musician, he has appeared with the Amadeus Quartet and the Britten Quartet, among others. Urban Claesson is also active as a teacher at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Piano Concerto No. 21 Piano Concerto No. 21 is most often associated in Sweden with Bo Widerberg's international film success Elvira Madigan from 1967. The middle movement was used as a theme in the tragic love story of the line dancer Elvira Madigan and Lieutenant Sixten Sparre. Mozart knew a lot about young love being destined for ruin. This is one of Mozart's most self-indulgent slow movements. Mozart's importance for the development of the piano concerto was as great as Beethoven's for the symphony. He innovated both form and content, for example by allowing the wind instruments not only to amplify the sound but also to provide additional color. In addition, there was a free interplay between soloist and orchestra. A total of 27 piano concertos was composed by Mozart's in his short life.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Pianist Bengt Forsberg is a highly regarded and actively engaged chamber musician who collaborates with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, cellists Mats Lidström and Andreas Brantelid and violinist Nils-Erik Sparf. Together with Anne Sofie von Otter, he regularly performs concerts around the world and several of their recordings have been awarded prizes. Bengt Forsberg is often engaged as a soloist and has appeared with all major Swedish symphony orchestras and several foreign ones. He has been artistic director of chamber music at Allhelgonakyrkan in Stockholm as well as a frequent guest at Stockholms Konserthus. He can also be heard in Musikrevyn on P2.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Pianist Bengt Forsberg is a highly regarded and actively engaged chamber musician who collaborates with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, cellists Mats Lidström and Andreas Brantelid and violinist Nils-Erik Sparf. Together with Anne Sofie von Otter, he regularly performs concerts around the world and several of their recordings have been awarded prizes. Bengt Forsberg is often engaged as a soloist and has appeared with all major Swedish symphony orchestras and several foreign ones. He has been artistic director of chamber music at Allhelgonakyrkan in Stockholm as well as a frequent guest at Stockholms Konserthus. He can also be heard in Musikrevyn on P2.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Brahms's Violin Sonata in G major, composed at the height of his creative career after completing Symphony No. 1 and the Violin Concerto, is a brilliantly lyrical work with long melodies rather than concise themes. The opening Vivace, considerably slowed by its modifying ma non troppo, has two lyrical themes. The central Adagio is in tripartite form, with a heartfelt main theme full of double and triple registers in the violin. The concluding Allegro molto moderato begins with a direct quotation from Brahms' Regenlied (Rain Song), a melancholic minor-key song recalling the long-gone days of youth.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Pianist Bengt Forsberg is a highly regarded and actively engaged chamber musician who collaborates with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, cellists Mats Lidström and Andreas Brantelid and violinist Nils-Erik Sparf. Together with Anne Sofie von Otter, he regularly performs concerts around the world and several of their recordings have been awarded prizes. Bengt Forsberg is often engaged as a soloist and has appeared with all major Swedish symphony orchestras and several foreign ones. He has been artistic director of chamber music at Allhelgonakyrkan in Stockholm as well as a frequent guest at Stockholms Konserthus. He can also be heard in Musikrevyn on P2.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

The choir was founded in 1917 by cousins Elsa and Wilhelm Stenhammar. Elsa Stenhammar was one of the driving forces in turn-of-the-century choir life in Gothenburg and became the choir's first rehearser. On December 8, 1917, the choir debuted in Beethoven's Choir Fantasy with Wilhelm Stenhammar as soloist at the grand piano. As the country's oldest symphonic choir, they were able to celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2017 with a big celebratory concert where Mozart and Brahms as well as Stenhammar, Elfrida Andrée and Björn & Benny were on the program. The Gothenburg Symphony Choir is a non-profit association that is linked to the Gothenburg Symphony. The choir participates in concerts and performances under both the orchestra's and its own auspices. The music is mixed and the repertoire extensive. The Gothenburg Symphony Choir has participated in concerts in, among other places, the Royal Albert Hall and Canterbury Cathedral in England, as well as participated with the Gothenburg Symphony in the annual music festival in the Canary Islands and on a tour to China.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Pianist Bengt Forsberg is a highly regarded and actively engaged chamber musician who collaborates with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, cellists Mats Lidström and Andreas Brantelid and violinist Nils-Erik Sparf. Together with Anne Sofie von Otter, he regularly performs concerts around the world and several of their recordings have been awarded prizes. Bengt Forsberg is often engaged as a soloist and has appeared with all major Swedish symphony orchestras and several foreign ones. He has been artistic director of chamber music at Allhelgonakyrkan in Stockholm as well as a frequent guest at Stockholms Konserthus. He can also be heard in Musikrevyn on P2.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

The last of Brahms' violin sonatas took two years to write and, unlike the two previous violin sonatas, is in four movements. The sonata is dedicated to Brahms' friend and colleague Hans von Bülow and was first performed in Budapest in 1888. In contrast to his lyrical and sunnier works, this sonata has a darker and stormier feel.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.

Erik Risberg was employed as a pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2023, also performing on organ, harpsichord and other keyboard instruments. He regularly performed as a chamber musician, including in a piano duo with Bengt Forsberg. Erik Risberg has also been a valued teacher of musical performance at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama for many years and also gives introductions at the Symphony Orchestra's concerts.