Archive Dive into the archive

Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma) The word enigma (riddle) says something about one of English music's most notorious orchestral suites. Part of the puzzle can be found in the subtitles of the different variation sets (14 in number) where name initials are preferably written. These recall various people who had a tangible impact on Elgar. From his wife, a musician, to close friends. Not infrequently their names form the melodic and even rhythmic variations which the original theme undergoes, but more clearly they are found in the temperament of the movements and sonorous execution of the characteristic of his friends. In everything from almost didactic interpretations, such as the sixth movement's play with string changes, which recalls one of his viola adepts' struggle with this very thing, or as in the most beloved ninth movement ("Nimrod"), where the conversations with Elgar's publisher shine through through the numerous musical references to Beethoven. The second riddle of the Enigma Variations remains unsolved to this day. It is said that there is a red thread hidden through the variations, identified by some as a melody, by others as an element of form, but we probably do best not to look too closely, but to do as Elgar emphasized already at the premiere: "but the work can be listened to to as a 'piece of music' free of any extra-musical references.” It is in the sound that the music has survived the centuries, the enigma is probably ultimately woven into a creative process that has long since ended. ESAIAS JÄRNEGARD

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.

Anna-Maria Helsing was appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2023, where she had previously been Principal Guest Conductor. Since January 2025, she has also been Chief Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra. From 2010 to 2013, Anna-Maria Helsing was Chief Conductor of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra. She is currently Artistic Director of the Rusk Chamber Music Festival in Jakobstad. In the 2025-2026 season, Helsing returns to the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm to conduct Britta Byström's newly written Sami opera Jordens hjärta (Heart of the Earth). She will also make a return visit to Brno, Czech Republic with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Moravian Autumn Festival. She will make her debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada, with the Philharmonic of Southern Denmark and with the Wiesbaden State Orchestra in Germany. She returns to the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the City Orchestras of Kuopio and Joensuu.

Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma) The word enigma (riddle) says something about one of English music's most notorious orchestral suites. Part of the puzzle can be found in the subtitles of the different variation sets (14 in number) where name initials are preferably written. These recall various people who had a tangible impact on Elgar. From his wife, a musician, to close friends. Not infrequently their names form the melodic and even rhythmic variations which the original theme undergoes, but more clearly they are found in the temperament of the movements and sonorous execution of the characteristic of his friends. In everything from almost didactic interpretations, such as the sixth movement's play with string changes, which recalls one of his viola adepts' struggle with this very thing, or as in the most beloved ninth movement ("Nimrod"), where the conversations with Elgar's publisher shine through through the numerous musical references to Beethoven. The second riddle of the Enigma Variations remains unsolved to this day. It is said that there is a red thread hidden through the variations, identified by some as a melody, by others as an element of form, but we probably do best not to look too closely, but to do as Elgar emphasized already at the premiere: "but the work can be listened to to as a 'piece of music' free of any extra-musical references.” It is in the sound that the music has survived the centuries, the enigma is probably ultimately woven into a creative process that has long since ended. ESAIAS JÄRNEGARD

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.

Anna-Maria Helsing was appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2023, where she had previously been Principal Guest Conductor. Since January 2025, she has also been Chief Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra. From 2010 to 2013, Anna-Maria Helsing was Chief Conductor of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra. She is currently Artistic Director of the Rusk Chamber Music Festival in Jakobstad. In the 2025-2026 season, Helsing returns to the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm to conduct Britta Byström's newly written Sami opera Jordens hjärta (Heart of the Earth). She will also make a return visit to Brno, Czech Republic with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Moravian Autumn Festival. She will make her debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada, with the Philharmonic of Southern Denmark and with the Wiesbaden State Orchestra in Germany. She returns to the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the City Orchestras of Kuopio and Joensuu.

Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma) The word enigma (riddle) says something about one of English music's most notorious orchestral suites. Part of the puzzle can be found in the subtitles of the different variation sets (14 in number) where name initials are preferably written. These recall various people who had a tangible impact on Elgar. From his wife, a musician, to close friends. Not infrequently their names form the melodic and even rhythmic variations which the original theme undergoes, but more clearly they are found in the temperament of the movements and sonorous execution of the characteristic of his friends. In everything from almost didactic interpretations, such as the sixth movement's play with string changes, which recalls one of his viola adepts' struggle with this very thing, or as in the most beloved ninth movement ("Nimrod"), where the conversations with Elgar's publisher shine through through the numerous musical references to Beethoven. The second riddle of the Enigma Variations remains unsolved to this day. It is said that there is a red thread hidden through the variations, identified by some as a melody, by others as an element of form, but we probably do best not to look too closely, but to do as Elgar emphasized already at the premiere: "but the work can be listened to to as a 'piece of music' free of any extra-musical references.” It is in the sound that the music has survived the centuries, the enigma is probably ultimately woven into a creative process that has long since ended. ESAIAS JÄRNEGARD

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.

Anna-Maria Helsing was appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2023, where she had previously been Principal Guest Conductor. Since January 2025, she has also been Chief Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra. From 2010 to 2013, Anna-Maria Helsing was Chief Conductor of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra. She is currently Artistic Director of the Rusk Chamber Music Festival in Jakobstad. In the 2025-2026 season, Helsing returns to the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm to conduct Britta Byström's newly written Sami opera Jordens hjärta (Heart of the Earth). She will also make a return visit to Brno, Czech Republic with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Moravian Autumn Festival. She will make her debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada, with the Philharmonic of Southern Denmark and with the Wiesbaden State Orchestra in Germany. She returns to the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the City Orchestras of Kuopio and Joensuu.

Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma) The word enigma (riddle) says something about one of English music's most notorious orchestral suites. Part of the puzzle can be found in the subtitles of the different variation sets (14 in number) where name initials are preferably written. These recall various people who had a tangible impact on Elgar. From his wife, a musician, to close friends. Not infrequently their names form the melodic and even rhythmic variations which the original theme undergoes, but more clearly they are found in the temperament of the movements and sonorous execution of the characteristic of his friends. In everything from almost didactic interpretations, such as the sixth movement's play with string changes, which recalls one of his viola adepts' struggle with this very thing, or as in the most beloved ninth movement ("Nimrod"), where the conversations with Elgar's publisher shine through through the numerous musical references to Beethoven. The second riddle of the Enigma Variations remains unsolved to this day. It is said that there is a red thread hidden through the variations, identified by some as a melody, by others as an element of form, but we probably do best not to look too closely, but to do as Elgar emphasized already at the premiere: "but the work can be listened to to as a 'piece of music' free of any extra-musical references.” It is in the sound that the music has survived the centuries, the enigma is probably ultimately woven into a creative process that has long since ended. ESAIAS JÄRNEGARD

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.

Anna-Maria Helsing was appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2023, where she had previously been Principal Guest Conductor. Since January 2025, she has also been Chief Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra. From 2010 to 2013, Anna-Maria Helsing was Chief Conductor of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra. She is currently Artistic Director of the Rusk Chamber Music Festival in Jakobstad. In the 2025-2026 season, Helsing returns to the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm to conduct Britta Byström's newly written Sami opera Jordens hjärta (Heart of the Earth). She will also make a return visit to Brno, Czech Republic with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Moravian Autumn Festival. She will make her debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada, with the Philharmonic of Southern Denmark and with the Wiesbaden State Orchestra in Germany. She returns to the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the City Orchestras of Kuopio and Joensuu.

Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma) The word enigma (riddle) says something about one of English music's most notorious orchestral suites. Part of the puzzle can be found in the subtitles of the different variation sets (14 in number) where name initials are preferably written. These recall various people who had a tangible impact on Elgar. From his wife, a musician, to close friends. Not infrequently their names form the melodic and even rhythmic variations which the original theme undergoes, but more clearly they are found in the temperament of the movements and sonorous execution of the characteristic of his friends. In everything from almost didactic interpretations, such as the sixth movement's play with string changes, which recalls one of his viola adepts' struggle with this very thing, or as in the most beloved ninth movement ("Nimrod"), where the conversations with Elgar's publisher shine through through the numerous musical references to Beethoven. The second riddle of the Enigma Variations remains unsolved to this day. It is said that there is a red thread hidden through the variations, identified by some as a melody, by others as an element of form, but we probably do best not to look too closely, but to do as Elgar emphasized already at the premiere: "but the work can be listened to to as a 'piece of music' free of any extra-musical references.” It is in the sound that the music has survived the centuries, the enigma is probably ultimately woven into a creative process that has long since ended. ESAIAS JÄRNEGARD

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.

Anna-Maria Helsing was appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2023, where she had previously been Principal Guest Conductor. Since January 2025, she has also been Chief Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra. From 2010 to 2013, Anna-Maria Helsing was Chief Conductor of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra. She is currently Artistic Director of the Rusk Chamber Music Festival in Jakobstad. In the 2025-2026 season, Helsing returns to the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm to conduct Britta Byström's newly written Sami opera Jordens hjärta (Heart of the Earth). She will also make a return visit to Brno, Czech Republic with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Moravian Autumn Festival. She will make her debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada, with the Philharmonic of Southern Denmark and with the Wiesbaden State Orchestra in Germany. She returns to the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the City Orchestras of Kuopio and Joensuu.

Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma) The word enigma (riddle) says something about one of English music's most notorious orchestral suites. Part of the puzzle can be found in the subtitles of the different variation sets (14 in number) where name initials are preferably written. These recall various people who had a tangible impact on Elgar. From his wife, a musician, to close friends. Not infrequently their names form the melodic and even rhythmic variations which the original theme undergoes, but more clearly they are found in the temperament of the movements and sonorous execution of the characteristic of his friends. In everything from almost didactic interpretations, such as the sixth movement's play with string changes, which recalls one of his viola adepts' struggle with this very thing, or as in the most beloved ninth movement ("Nimrod"), where the conversations with Elgar's publisher shine through through the numerous musical references to Beethoven. The second riddle of the Enigma Variations remains unsolved to this day. It is said that there is a red thread hidden through the variations, identified by some as a melody, by others as an element of form, but we probably do best not to look too closely, but to do as Elgar emphasized already at the premiere: "but the work can be listened to to as a 'piece of music' free of any extra-musical references.” It is in the sound that the music has survived the centuries, the enigma is probably ultimately woven into a creative process that has long since ended. ESAIAS JÄRNEGARD

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.

Anna-Maria Helsing was appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2023, where she had previously been Principal Guest Conductor. Since January 2025, she has also been Chief Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra. From 2010 to 2013, Anna-Maria Helsing was Chief Conductor of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra. She is currently Artistic Director of the Rusk Chamber Music Festival in Jakobstad. In the 2025-2026 season, Helsing returns to the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm to conduct Britta Byström's newly written Sami opera Jordens hjärta (Heart of the Earth). She will also make a return visit to Brno, Czech Republic with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Moravian Autumn Festival. She will make her debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada, with the Philharmonic of Southern Denmark and with the Wiesbaden State Orchestra in Germany. She returns to the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the City Orchestras of Kuopio and Joensuu.

Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma) The word enigma (riddle) says something about one of English music's most notorious orchestral suites. Part of the puzzle can be found in the subtitles of the different variation sets (14 in number) where name initials are preferably written. These recall various people who had a tangible impact on Elgar. From his wife, a musician, to close friends. Not infrequently their names form the melodic and even rhythmic variations which the original theme undergoes, but more clearly they are found in the temperament of the movements and sonorous execution of the characteristic of his friends. In everything from almost didactic interpretations, such as the sixth movement's play with string changes, which recalls one of his viola adepts' struggle with this very thing, or as in the most beloved ninth movement ("Nimrod"), where the conversations with Elgar's publisher shine through through the numerous musical references to Beethoven. The second riddle of the Enigma Variations remains unsolved to this day. It is said that there is a red thread hidden through the variations, identified by some as a melody, by others as an element of form, but we probably do best not to look too closely, but to do as Elgar emphasized already at the premiere: "but the work can be listened to to as a 'piece of music' free of any extra-musical references.” It is in the sound that the music has survived the centuries, the enigma is probably ultimately woven into a creative process that has long since ended. ESAIAS JÄRNEGARD

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.

Anna-Maria Helsing was appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2023, where she had previously been Principal Guest Conductor. Since January 2025, she has also been Chief Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra. From 2010 to 2013, Anna-Maria Helsing was Chief Conductor of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra. She is currently Artistic Director of the Rusk Chamber Music Festival in Jakobstad. In the 2025-2026 season, Helsing returns to the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm to conduct Britta Byström's newly written Sami opera Jordens hjärta (Heart of the Earth). She will also make a return visit to Brno, Czech Republic with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Moravian Autumn Festival. She will make her debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada, with the Philharmonic of Southern Denmark and with the Wiesbaden State Orchestra in Germany. She returns to the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the City Orchestras of Kuopio and Joensuu.

Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma) The word enigma (riddle) says something about one of English music's most notorious orchestral suites. Part of the puzzle can be found in the subtitles of the different variation sets (14 in number) where name initials are preferably written. These recall various people who had a tangible impact on Elgar. From his wife, a musician, to close friends. Not infrequently their names form the melodic and even rhythmic variations which the original theme undergoes, but more clearly they are found in the temperament of the movements and sonorous execution of the characteristic of his friends. In everything from almost didactic interpretations, such as the sixth movement's play with string changes, which recalls one of his viola adepts' struggle with this very thing, or as in the most beloved ninth movement ("Nimrod"), where the conversations with Elgar's publisher shine through through the numerous musical references to Beethoven. The second riddle of the Enigma Variations remains unsolved to this day. It is said that there is a red thread hidden through the variations, identified by some as a melody, by others as an element of form, but we probably do best not to look too closely, but to do as Elgar emphasized already at the premiere: "but the work can be listened to to as a 'piece of music' free of any extra-musical references.” It is in the sound that the music has survived the centuries, the enigma is probably ultimately woven into a creative process that has long since ended. ESAIAS JÄRNEGARD

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.

Anna-Maria Helsing was appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2023, where she had previously been Principal Guest Conductor. Since January 2025, she has also been Chief Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra. From 2010 to 2013, Anna-Maria Helsing was Chief Conductor of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra. She is currently Artistic Director of the Rusk Chamber Music Festival in Jakobstad. In the 2025-2026 season, Helsing returns to the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm to conduct Britta Byström's newly written Sami opera Jordens hjärta (Heart of the Earth). She will also make a return visit to Brno, Czech Republic with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Moravian Autumn Festival. She will make her debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada, with the Philharmonic of Southern Denmark and with the Wiesbaden State Orchestra in Germany. She returns to the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the City Orchestras of Kuopio and Joensuu.

Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma) The word enigma (riddle) says something about one of English music's most notorious orchestral suites. Part of the puzzle can be found in the subtitles of the different variation sets (14 in number) where name initials are preferably written. These recall various people who had a tangible impact on Elgar. From his wife, a musician, to close friends. Not infrequently their names form the melodic and even rhythmic variations which the original theme undergoes, but more clearly they are found in the temperament of the movements and sonorous execution of the characteristic of his friends. In everything from almost didactic interpretations, such as the sixth movement's play with string changes, which recalls one of his viola adepts' struggle with this very thing, or as in the most beloved ninth movement ("Nimrod"), where the conversations with Elgar's publisher shine through through the numerous musical references to Beethoven. The second riddle of the Enigma Variations remains unsolved to this day. It is said that there is a red thread hidden through the variations, identified by some as a melody, by others as an element of form, but we probably do best not to look too closely, but to do as Elgar emphasized already at the premiere: "but the work can be listened to to as a 'piece of music' free of any extra-musical references.” It is in the sound that the music has survived the centuries, the enigma is probably ultimately woven into a creative process that has long since ended. ESAIAS JÄRNEGARD

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.

Anna-Maria Helsing was appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2023, where she had previously been Principal Guest Conductor. Since January 2025, she has also been Chief Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra. From 2010 to 2013, Anna-Maria Helsing was Chief Conductor of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra. She is currently Artistic Director of the Rusk Chamber Music Festival in Jakobstad. In the 2025-2026 season, Helsing returns to the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm to conduct Britta Byström's newly written Sami opera Jordens hjärta (Heart of the Earth). She will also make a return visit to Brno, Czech Republic with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Moravian Autumn Festival. She will make her debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada, with the Philharmonic of Southern Denmark and with the Wiesbaden State Orchestra in Germany. She returns to the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the City Orchestras of Kuopio and Joensuu.

Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma) The word enigma (riddle) says something about one of English music's most notorious orchestral suites. Part of the puzzle can be found in the subtitles of the different variation sets (14 in number) where name initials are preferably written. These recall various people who had a tangible impact on Elgar. From his wife, a musician, to close friends. Not infrequently their names form the melodic and even rhythmic variations which the original theme undergoes, but more clearly they are found in the temperament of the movements and sonorous execution of the characteristic of his friends. In everything from almost didactic interpretations, such as the sixth movement's play with string changes, which recalls one of his viola adepts' struggle with this very thing, or as in the most beloved ninth movement ("Nimrod"), where the conversations with Elgar's publisher shine through through the numerous musical references to Beethoven. The second riddle of the Enigma Variations remains unsolved to this day. It is said that there is a red thread hidden through the variations, identified by some as a melody, by others as an element of form, but we probably do best not to look too closely, but to do as Elgar emphasized already at the premiere: "but the work can be listened to to as a 'piece of music' free of any extra-musical references.” It is in the sound that the music has survived the centuries, the enigma is probably ultimately woven into a creative process that has long since ended. ESAIAS JÄRNEGARD

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.

Anna-Maria Helsing was appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2023, where she had previously been Principal Guest Conductor. Since January 2025, she has also been Chief Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra. From 2010 to 2013, Anna-Maria Helsing was Chief Conductor of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra. She is currently Artistic Director of the Rusk Chamber Music Festival in Jakobstad. In the 2025-2026 season, Helsing returns to the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm to conduct Britta Byström's newly written Sami opera Jordens hjärta (Heart of the Earth). She will also make a return visit to Brno, Czech Republic with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Moravian Autumn Festival. She will make her debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada, with the Philharmonic of Southern Denmark and with the Wiesbaden State Orchestra in Germany. She returns to the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the City Orchestras of Kuopio and Joensuu.

Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma) The word enigma (riddle) says something about one of English music's most notorious orchestral suites. Part of the puzzle can be found in the subtitles of the different variation sets (14 in number) where name initials are preferably written. These recall various people who had a tangible impact on Elgar. From his wife, a musician, to close friends. Not infrequently their names form the melodic and even rhythmic variations which the original theme undergoes, but more clearly they are found in the temperament of the movements and sonorous execution of the characteristic of his friends. In everything from almost didactic interpretations, such as the sixth movement's play with string changes, which recalls one of his viola adepts' struggle with this very thing, or as in the most beloved ninth movement ("Nimrod"), where the conversations with Elgar's publisher shine through through the numerous musical references to Beethoven. The second riddle of the Enigma Variations remains unsolved to this day. It is said that there is a red thread hidden through the variations, identified by some as a melody, by others as an element of form, but we probably do best not to look too closely, but to do as Elgar emphasized already at the premiere: "but the work can be listened to to as a 'piece of music' free of any extra-musical references.” It is in the sound that the music has survived the centuries, the enigma is probably ultimately woven into a creative process that has long since ended. ESAIAS JÄRNEGARD

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.

Anna-Maria Helsing was appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2023, where she had previously been Principal Guest Conductor. Since January 2025, she has also been Chief Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra. From 2010 to 2013, Anna-Maria Helsing was Chief Conductor of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra. She is currently Artistic Director of the Rusk Chamber Music Festival in Jakobstad. In the 2025-2026 season, Helsing returns to the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm to conduct Britta Byström's newly written Sami opera Jordens hjärta (Heart of the Earth). She will also make a return visit to Brno, Czech Republic with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Moravian Autumn Festival. She will make her debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada, with the Philharmonic of Southern Denmark and with the Wiesbaden State Orchestra in Germany. She returns to the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the City Orchestras of Kuopio and Joensuu.