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At the very first performance of the German composer Max Bruch’s final version in 1868, the audience embraced the work at once. Bruch’s thoughtful approach to instrumentation allows both soloist and orchestra to shine – their interplay flows with melodic richness and expressive warmth. Like Felix Mendelssohn, Max Bruch was a musical prodigy. He wrote his first symphony and a string quartet at the age of fourteen. Yet it must have been a strange fate for a composer whose works were widely performed and admired to be celebrated, for the rest of his long life, almost exclusively for a single piece: the Violin Concerto in G minor. The world’s great violinists adored it, the public adored it, but Bruch eventually grew weary of players who wanted to perform only that concerto. Unfortunately, he had sold the rights to his publisher early on, meaning he received no income from the immense number of performances during his lifetime. Bruch described the first movement as a prelude – a long one – which leads almost imperceptibly into the second movement. Like Mendelssohn, he lets the soloist enter swiftly rather than opening with the full orchestra. Here, inspired melodies unfold in dialogue with the orchestra, interrupted by two brief solo cadenzas. The violin begins the adagio with a nostalgic, heartfelt line, later followed by brilliant solo writing that avoids any hint of undue sentimentality. A short pause leads into an energetic allegro, where a Hungarian-inspired dance takes command, complete with virtuosic solo passages and a romantic theme that captivates and seduces.

Richard Strauss’s symphonic poem Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche is one of the great masterpieces of the orchestral repertoire. Until this point the composer had been known as a scholarly and rather serious young master, but after the premiere of Till in Cologne on 5 November 1895, it became clear that he also possessed a sparkling sense of humour. Formally the work resembles a rondo, inviting us to follow the various escapades of the title character. Till Eulenspiegel, a famous trickster who had appeared in literature since the Middle Ages, is introduced in unmistakably fairy-tale fashion: the violins begin the piece with a dreamy phrase that seems to sing, “Once upon a time...”. We then encounter Till as an itinerant preacher, see him fall in love, watch as he is brought to trial and sentenced to death, and finally witness his hanging. No name was inscribed on his gravestone, but an image of an owl and a mirror got to illustrate an old proverb: “Man sees his own faults as little as an owl recognizes his ugliness in looking into a mirror.” Hence the name Eulenspiegel (The Owl’s Mirror).

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.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

At the very first performance of the German composer Max Bruch’s final version in 1868, the audience embraced the work at once. Bruch’s thoughtful approach to instrumentation allows both soloist and orchestra to shine – their interplay flows with melodic richness and expressive warmth. Like Felix Mendelssohn, Max Bruch was a musical prodigy. He wrote his first symphony and a string quartet at the age of fourteen. Yet it must have been a strange fate for a composer whose works were widely performed and admired to be celebrated, for the rest of his long life, almost exclusively for a single piece: the Violin Concerto in G minor. The world’s great violinists adored it, the public adored it, but Bruch eventually grew weary of players who wanted to perform only that concerto. Unfortunately, he had sold the rights to his publisher early on, meaning he received no income from the immense number of performances during his lifetime. Bruch described the first movement as a prelude – a long one – which leads almost imperceptibly into the second movement. Like Mendelssohn, he lets the soloist enter swiftly rather than opening with the full orchestra. Here, inspired melodies unfold in dialogue with the orchestra, interrupted by two brief solo cadenzas. The violin begins the adagio with a nostalgic, heartfelt line, later followed by brilliant solo writing that avoids any hint of undue sentimentality. A short pause leads into an energetic allegro, where a Hungarian-inspired dance takes command, complete with virtuosic solo passages and a romantic theme that captivates and seduces.

Richard Strauss’s symphonic poem Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche is one of the great masterpieces of the orchestral repertoire. Until this point the composer had been known as a scholarly and rather serious young master, but after the premiere of Till in Cologne on 5 November 1895, it became clear that he also possessed a sparkling sense of humour. Formally the work resembles a rondo, inviting us to follow the various escapades of the title character. Till Eulenspiegel, a famous trickster who had appeared in literature since the Middle Ages, is introduced in unmistakably fairy-tale fashion: the violins begin the piece with a dreamy phrase that seems to sing, “Once upon a time...”. We then encounter Till as an itinerant preacher, see him fall in love, watch as he is brought to trial and sentenced to death, and finally witness his hanging. No name was inscribed on his gravestone, but an image of an owl and a mirror got to illustrate an old proverb: “Man sees his own faults as little as an owl recognizes his ugliness in looking into a mirror.” Hence the name Eulenspiegel (The Owl’s Mirror).

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.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

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.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

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.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

"Now I have freed myself from my last love!" Johannes Brahms wrote to a good friend after completing his second string sextet in 1865. The love was the young singer Agathe von Siebold from Göttingen with whom he had fallen passionately in love in the summer of 1858. At that time he had tried to distance himself from his special relationship with the pianist Clara Schumann, the widow of Robert and mother of seven children. When Brahms moved away from her after her husband's death and met Agathe during his tenure as conductor in Detmold, she was very jealous. In the second string sextet, which was begun during the summer stay in Lichtental near Baden-Baden, there are clear traces of both of these women who meant so much to Brahms. In 1855, he had enclosed in a letter to Clara a painfully longing melody that now formed the main motif with five variations in the slow third movement, and which also begins the entire work in the form of a couple of transcendental quarter notes. It was his only way of daring to show Clara his multifaceted love while she was still married to Robert and now he showed it again. "I speak in my tones" as he wrote to her in a letter much later.

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.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

Claes Gunnarsson has toured all over the world as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician and teacher. He made an early and acclaimed debut as soloist in Dvorák's Cello Concerto with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Shortly afterwards he was appointed principal cellist of the orchestra, a position he has held since 1999. As soloist, Claes has appeared in some of the world's most prestigious concert halls, including Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, St. Petersburg Philharmonie, Shanghai Symphony Hall, Seoul Arts Center and Singapore Symphony Hall. He has also appeared at leading international festivals such as La Folle Journée in Nantes, Music@Menlo in California, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Affinis in Japan, Yuri Temirkanov's Winter Festival in St. Petersburg and the Qingdao International Cello Festival. Conductors he has collaborated with include Neeme Järvi, Kent Nagano, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Alexander Lazarev, Christian Zacharias and Christopher Warren-Green. As a chamber musician, Claes has collaborated with prominent musicians such as Leonidas Kavakos, Nikolaj Znaider, Christian Zacharias and Hélène Grimaud. Of particular significance is his nearly 25-year collaboration with violinist Sara Trobäck and pianist Per Lundberg in the piano trio Trio Poseidon. The trio has toured extensively both nationally and internationally and made a critically acclaimed recording of Beethoven's Triple Concerto and Brahms' Double Concerto together with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Neeme Järvi for Chandos Records. For Chandos Records, he has also recorded Weinberg's Cello Fantasy and Cello Concerto together with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Thord Svedlund. The recording of the cello concerto was awarded the Diapason d'Or award. He is also represented on BIS Records with the premiere recording of Albert Schnelzer's cello concerto. Claes is regularly invited as a guest solo cellist with, among others, the Oslo Philharmonic, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. In parallel with his concert performances, he is active as a teacher at the Academy of Drama and Music at the University of Gothenburg. Claes plays a cello built in 1707 by David Tecchler, generously on loan from the Järnåker Foundation.

Richard Strauss (1864-1949) Also sprach Zarathustra The music is in no way a musical translation of Nietzsche's controversial theories about the übermensch. Richard Strauss saw the positive sides of the author's message: the demand for freedom, the longing for a better world, the power of action. The descriptions of nature were the most important source of inspiration. The extensive orchestral poem breaks up into nine sections, whose titles correspond to the names of the chapters in the book (but not always in the same order). Between these there are only three general pauses, the rest is in one go. As a motto he placed Nietzsche's "ode to the sun" with the call that "Too long have we dreamed of music, let us now wake up. We were sleepwalkers, let us now go out into the day..." The whole work begins with the sunrise: after long, grinding and very low C in double basses, double bassoon and organ, the sun breaks out in the notes C, G and C2. This is probably the most brilliant sunrise in the entire history of music, and just like Ligeti's music, it became the motif in the film 2001 – A Space Odyssey. The following parts have the titles: "About the inhabitants of the afterlife", "About the great longing" and "About the joy and passions", where the oboe intones a mournful melody. It is the dreams of youth that are buried. "The Night Wanderer's Song" is a heartbreaking farewell song where the description of nature returns in a reconciling C major in the basses. In the music, C major represents man and nature, while B major represents the universe - two keys that are very far apart. Neither of them emerges victorious from the battle at the end of the piece. Stig Jacobsson

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.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

Richard Strauss (1864-1949) Also sprach Zarathustra The music is in no way a musical translation of Nietzsche's controversial theories about the übermensch. Richard Strauss saw the positive sides of the author's message: the demand for freedom, the longing for a better world, the power of action. The descriptions of nature were the most important source of inspiration. The extensive orchestral poem breaks up into nine sections, whose titles correspond to the names of the chapters in the book (but not always in the same order). Between these there are only three general pauses, the rest is in one go. As a motto he placed Nietzsche's "ode to the sun" with the call that "Too long have we dreamed of music, let us now wake up. We were sleepwalkers, let us now go out into the day..." The whole work begins with the sunrise: after long, grinding and very low C in double basses, double bassoon and organ, the sun breaks out in the notes C, G and C2. This is probably the most brilliant sunrise in the entire history of music, and just like Ligeti's music, it became the motif in the film 2001 – A Space Odyssey. The following parts have the titles: "About the inhabitants of the afterlife", "About the great longing" and "About the joy and passions", where the oboe intones a mournful melody. It is the dreams of youth that are buried. "The Night Wanderer's Song" is a heartbreaking farewell song where the description of nature returns in a reconciling C major in the basses. In the music, C major represents man and nature, while B major represents the universe - two keys that are very far apart. Neither of them emerges victorious from the battle at the end of the piece. Stig Jacobsson

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.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

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.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

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.

The Estonian-born conductor Neeme Järvi is the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra's Principal Conductor Emeritus. He conducts many of the world's most prominent orchestras and works with soloists of the highest class. During his long career, he has made over 450 disc recordings. Under Neeme Järvi's direction from 1982-2004, the Gothenburg Symphony made a series of international tours and made around a hundred disc recordings and established itself among Europe's leading orchestras. Neeme Järvi became chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in 2005, artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He has also been artistic director of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande. He holds the titles of Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Throughout his career, Neeme Järvi has been honored with international honors and awards. In Estonia, these include an honorary doctorate at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn, and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the President of the Republic of Estonia. He has also received the Commander of the Order of the North Star from King Karl XVI Gustaf. He most recently guested with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2024 at the Hasselblad Concert, which was also recorded for GSOplay and Swedish Radio.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Symphony No. 6 Pathetique Op 74 Adagio;Allegro non troppo - Allegro con grazia - Allegro molto vivace - Finale:Adagio lamentoso Few symphonies contain as many outbursts of emotion and sudden mood swings as Tchaikovsky's Sixth, with the telling title Pathétique ("passionate suffering"). It reflects his manic-depressive personality, he suffered throughout his life from crises and often struggled with illness and depression. Tchaikovsky's death in Saint Petersburg, just nine days after he conducted the premiere, also gave the work a tragic aura right from the start. It was even said that the music deliberately foreshadowed his own death, which occurred after he drank cholera-tainted water. Even today, musicologists disagree whether it was an accident or a forced suicide, to avoid public scandal as a homosexual. Is the sixth symphony really a self-composed requiem? This theory is fueled by the "dark" key of B minor, which stands for great passion and tragedy, and by the unusual structure. The main motif that runs throughout the work consists of a plaintive, descending second interval. The gloomy character of the symphony is clear already in the first movement, with its slow, dark introduction. The second movement is reminiscent of Don José's flower aria from Bizet's opera Carmen, which Tchaikovsky greatly admired. Towards the end of the movement there is a chorale-like funeral march, and even a quote from the Russian Orthodox funeral liturgy. The second movement provides some lightening, and Tchaikovsky wrote it in an elegant 5/4 time signature, which is a fairly common time signature in Russian folk music. The "limping" character makes the movement almost humorous, despite the loving waltz or minuet-like style. In the third movement he returns to the march as idea, but it begins as an cheerful scherzo that gradually unfolds in its full life-affirming power. The fourth movement is the most famous in the symphony, and is partly reminiscent of a mournful requiem. The main theme is characterized by sighing motifs, and at the end the music fades into a low string chord in B minor. Tchaikovsky considered the symphony to be his most important, most personal composition, but the premiere was received cautiously.

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.

The Estonian-born conductor Neeme Järvi is the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra's Principal Conductor Emeritus. He conducts many of the world's most prominent orchestras and works with soloists of the highest class. During his long career, he has made over 450 disc recordings. Under Neeme Järvi's direction from 1982-2004, the Gothenburg Symphony made a series of international tours and made around a hundred disc recordings and established itself among Europe's leading orchestras. Neeme Järvi became chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in 2005, artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He has also been artistic director of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande. He holds the titles of Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Throughout his career, Neeme Järvi has been honored with international honors and awards. In Estonia, these include an honorary doctorate at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn, and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the President of the Republic of Estonia. He has also received the Commander of the Order of the North Star from King Karl XVI Gustaf. He most recently guested with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2024 at the Hasselblad Concert, which was also recorded for GSOplay and Swedish Radio.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Symphony No. 6 Pathetique Op 74 Adagio;Allegro non troppo - Allegro con grazia - Allegro molto vivace - Finale:Adagio lamentoso Few symphonies contain as many outbursts of emotion and sudden mood swings as Tchaikovsky's Sixth, with the telling title Pathétique ("passionate suffering"). It reflects his manic-depressive personality, he suffered throughout his life from crises and often struggled with illness and depression. Tchaikovsky's death in Saint Petersburg, just nine days after he conducted the premiere, also gave the work a tragic aura right from the start. It was even said that the music deliberately foreshadowed his own death, which occurred after he drank cholera-tainted water. Even today, musicologists disagree whether it was an accident or a forced suicide, to avoid public scandal as a homosexual. Is the sixth symphony really a self-composed requiem? This theory is fueled by the "dark" key of B minor, which stands for great passion and tragedy, and by the unusual structure. The main motif that runs throughout the work consists of a plaintive, descending second interval. The gloomy character of the symphony is clear already in the first movement, with its slow, dark introduction. The second movement is reminiscent of Don José's flower aria from Bizet's opera Carmen, which Tchaikovsky greatly admired. Towards the end of the movement there is a chorale-like funeral march, and even a quote from the Russian Orthodox funeral liturgy. The second movement provides some lightening, and Tchaikovsky wrote it in an elegant 5/4 time signature, which is a fairly common time signature in Russian folk music. The "limping" character makes the movement almost humorous, despite the loving waltz or minuet-like style. In the third movement he returns to the march as idea, but it begins as an cheerful scherzo that gradually unfolds in its full life-affirming power. The fourth movement is the most famous in the symphony, and is partly reminiscent of a mournful requiem. The main theme is characterized by sighing motifs, and at the end the music fades into a low string chord in B minor. Tchaikovsky considered the symphony to be his most important, most personal composition, but the premiere was received cautiously.

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.

The Estonian-born conductor Neeme Järvi is the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra's Principal Conductor Emeritus. He conducts many of the world's most prominent orchestras and works with soloists of the highest class. During his long career, he has made over 450 disc recordings. Under Neeme Järvi's direction from 1982-2004, the Gothenburg Symphony made a series of international tours and made around a hundred disc recordings and established itself among Europe's leading orchestras. Neeme Järvi became chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in 2005, artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He has also been artistic director of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande. He holds the titles of Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Throughout his career, Neeme Järvi has been honored with international honors and awards. In Estonia, these include an honorary doctorate at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn, and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the President of the Republic of Estonia. He has also received the Commander of the Order of the North Star from King Karl XVI Gustaf. He most recently guested with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2024 at the Hasselblad Concert, which was also recorded for GSOplay and Swedish Radio.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

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.

The Estonian-born conductor Neeme Järvi is the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra's Principal Conductor Emeritus. He conducts many of the world's most prominent orchestras and works with soloists of the highest class. During his long career, he has made over 450 disc recordings. Under Neeme Järvi's direction from 1982-2004, the Gothenburg Symphony made a series of international tours and made around a hundred disc recordings and established itself among Europe's leading orchestras. Neeme Järvi became chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in 2005, artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He has also been artistic director of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande. He holds the titles of Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Throughout his career, Neeme Järvi has been honored with international honors and awards. In Estonia, these include an honorary doctorate at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn, and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the President of the Republic of Estonia. He has also received the Commander of the Order of the North Star from King Karl XVI Gustaf. He most recently guested with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2024 at the Hasselblad Concert, which was also recorded for GSOplay and Swedish Radio.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

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.

The Estonian-born conductor Neeme Järvi is the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra's Principal Conductor Emeritus. He conducts many of the world's most prominent orchestras and works with soloists of the highest class. During his long career, he has made over 450 disc recordings. Under Neeme Järvi's direction from 1982-2004, the Gothenburg Symphony made a series of international tours and made around a hundred disc recordings and established itself among Europe's leading orchestras. Neeme Järvi became chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in 2005, artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He has also been artistic director of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande. He holds the titles of Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Throughout his career, Neeme Järvi has been honored with international honors and awards. In Estonia, these include an honorary doctorate at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn, and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the President of the Republic of Estonia. He has also received the Commander of the Order of the North Star from King Karl XVI Gustaf. He most recently guested with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2024 at the Hasselblad Concert, which was also recorded for GSOplay and Swedish Radio.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Symphony No. 6 Pathetique Op 74 Adagio;Allegro non troppo - Allegro con grazia - Allegro molto vivace - Finale:Adagio lamentoso Few symphonies contain as many outbursts of emotion and sudden mood swings as Tchaikovsky's Sixth, with the telling title Pathétique ("passionate suffering"). It reflects his manic-depressive personality, he suffered throughout his life from crises and often struggled with illness and depression. Tchaikovsky's death in Saint Petersburg, just nine days after he conducted the premiere, also gave the work a tragic aura right from the start. It was even said that the music deliberately foreshadowed his own death, which occurred after he drank cholera-tainted water. Even today, musicologists disagree whether it was an accident or a forced suicide, to avoid public scandal as a homosexual. Is the sixth symphony really a self-composed requiem? This theory is fueled by the "dark" key of B minor, which stands for great passion and tragedy, and by the unusual structure. The main motif that runs throughout the work consists of a plaintive, descending second interval. The gloomy character of the symphony is clear already in the first movement, with its slow, dark introduction. The second movement is reminiscent of Don José's flower aria from Bizet's opera Carmen, which Tchaikovsky greatly admired. Towards the end of the movement there is a chorale-like funeral march, and even a quote from the Russian Orthodox funeral liturgy. The second movement provides some lightening, and Tchaikovsky wrote it in an elegant 5/4 time signature, which is a fairly common time signature in Russian folk music. The "limping" character makes the movement almost humorous, despite the loving waltz or minuet-like style. In the third movement he returns to the march as idea, but it begins as an cheerful scherzo that gradually unfolds in its full life-affirming power. The fourth movement is the most famous in the symphony, and is partly reminiscent of a mournful requiem. The main theme is characterized by sighing motifs, and at the end the music fades into a low string chord in B minor. Tchaikovsky considered the symphony to be his most important, most personal composition, but the premiere was received cautiously.

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.

The Estonian-born conductor Neeme Järvi is the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra's Principal Conductor Emeritus. He conducts many of the world's most prominent orchestras and works with soloists of the highest class. During his long career, he has made over 450 disc recordings. Under Neeme Järvi's direction from 1982-2004, the Gothenburg Symphony made a series of international tours and made around a hundred disc recordings and established itself among Europe's leading orchestras. Neeme Järvi became chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in 2005, artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He has also been artistic director of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande. He holds the titles of Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Throughout his career, Neeme Järvi has been honored with international honors and awards. In Estonia, these include an honorary doctorate at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn, and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the President of the Republic of Estonia. He has also received the Commander of the Order of the North Star from King Karl XVI Gustaf. He most recently guested with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2024 at the Hasselblad Concert, which was also recorded for GSOplay and Swedish Radio.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Symphony No. 6 Pathetique Op 74 Adagio;Allegro non troppo - Allegro con grazia - Allegro molto vivace - Finale:Adagio lamentoso Few symphonies contain as many outbursts of emotion and sudden mood swings as Tchaikovsky's Sixth, with the telling title Pathétique ("passionate suffering"). It reflects his manic-depressive personality, he suffered throughout his life from crises and often struggled with illness and depression. Tchaikovsky's death in Saint Petersburg, just nine days after he conducted the premiere, also gave the work a tragic aura right from the start. It was even said that the music deliberately foreshadowed his own death, which occurred after he drank cholera-tainted water. Even today, musicologists disagree whether it was an accident or a forced suicide, to avoid public scandal as a homosexual. Is the sixth symphony really a self-composed requiem? This theory is fueled by the "dark" key of B minor, which stands for great passion and tragedy, and by the unusual structure. The main motif that runs throughout the work consists of a plaintive, descending second interval. The gloomy character of the symphony is clear already in the first movement, with its slow, dark introduction. The second movement is reminiscent of Don José's flower aria from Bizet's opera Carmen, which Tchaikovsky greatly admired. Towards the end of the movement there is a chorale-like funeral march, and even a quote from the Russian Orthodox funeral liturgy. The second movement provides some lightening, and Tchaikovsky wrote it in an elegant 5/4 time signature, which is a fairly common time signature in Russian folk music. The "limping" character makes the movement almost humorous, despite the loving waltz or minuet-like style. In the third movement he returns to the march as idea, but it begins as an cheerful scherzo that gradually unfolds in its full life-affirming power. The fourth movement is the most famous in the symphony, and is partly reminiscent of a mournful requiem. The main theme is characterized by sighing motifs, and at the end the music fades into a low string chord in B minor. Tchaikovsky considered the symphony to be his most important, most personal composition, but the premiere was received cautiously.

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.

The Estonian-born conductor Neeme Järvi is the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra's Principal Conductor Emeritus. He conducts many of the world's most prominent orchestras and works with soloists of the highest class. During his long career, he has made over 450 disc recordings. Under Neeme Järvi's direction from 1982-2004, the Gothenburg Symphony made a series of international tours and made around a hundred disc recordings and established itself among Europe's leading orchestras. Neeme Järvi became chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in 2005, artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He has also been artistic director of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande. He holds the titles of Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Throughout his career, Neeme Järvi has been honored with international honors and awards. In Estonia, these include an honorary doctorate at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn, and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the President of the Republic of Estonia. He has also received the Commander of the Order of the North Star from King Karl XVI Gustaf. He most recently guested with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2024 at the Hasselblad Concert, which was also recorded for GSOplay and Swedish Radio.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

Initially, Sibelius believed this first symphony would be programmatic: a symphony telling of his homeland’s geology and the triumph of Christianity over paganism. But seven years after the success of his choral-orchestral work based Finnish folklore Kullervo, friends and critics were urging Sibelius to think in more rigorous symphonic terms. Finland, they argued, needed art that was more international than parochial – a symphony that stood its ground on musical terms alone. Such thinking would give the First Symphony its musical weight irrespective of political context. In his student days in Vienna and Berlin, Sibelius’s teachers had stressed the importance of working through musical themes – lathing them continuously until they were fit for purpose. Ultimately, Sibelius took that advice to a level that couldn’t have been anticipated. Already in this symphony, the composer was handling his material in a distinctive way. Its misty opening on a solitary clarinet doesn’t just prepare us for the shock of the movement’s fast-paced Allegro; it infiltrates the work’s musical ideas like nutrients in their soil. The shape of the clarinet’s theme can be detected in numerous fragments right up to the final bars. The fourth movement launches with a transfigured version of it on thrusting strings. That gesture speaks of another conceptual difference in Sibelius’s symphonic designs: his response to the colours and capabilities of instruments. In a departure from traditional Germanic symphonic argument (which would make sense on a piano), Sibelius allowed the particular colour of instruments and instrumental groups to shape the path of his music. The symphony’s opening clarinet solo presents one example. The long-held pedal notes in the slow Andante, and the pizzicatos of the Scherzo, two more. These led the critic Ernest Newman to conclude that ‘every page breathes of another manner of thought, another way of living, even another landscape.’ That ‘other way of living’ can be rationalized. The use of recitation – a note repeating itself, like something half-sung – has its roots in Finland’s runic singing tradition. Others have heard something distinctly Russian in the clarinet solo, in the fur-wrapped melancholy of the slow movement and in the feverish way in which the final Allegro molto erupts. It’s in this movement that we hear Sibelius at his most unique. The organic treatment of themes continues. But as part of that process, the movement appears to reconcile the symphony’s poles of energy and stasis in a way only Sibelius could have conceived: by tricking us into assuming the music is operating at one distinct velocity when it’s actually locked into another. Andrew Mellor, from Sibelius: Symphony 1 & En Saga; Rouvali & Göteborgs Symfoniker (Alpha, 2019)

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.

The Estonian-born conductor Neeme Järvi is the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra's Principal Conductor Emeritus. He conducts many of the world's most prominent orchestras and works with soloists of the highest class. During his long career, he has made over 450 disc recordings. Under Neeme Järvi's direction from 1982-2004, the Gothenburg Symphony made a series of international tours and made around a hundred disc recordings and established itself among Europe's leading orchestras. Neeme Järvi became chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in 2005, artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He has also been artistic director of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande. He holds the titles of Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Throughout his career, Neeme Järvi has been honored with international honors and awards. In Estonia, these include an honorary doctorate at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn, and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the President of the Republic of Estonia. He has also received the Commander of the Order of the North Star from King Karl XVI Gustaf. He most recently guested with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2024 at the Hasselblad Concert, which was also recorded for GSOplay and Swedish Radio.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

Initially, Sibelius believed this first symphony would be programmatic: a symphony telling of his homeland’s geology and the triumph of Christianity over paganism. But seven years after the success of his choral-orchestral work based Finnish folklore Kullervo, friends and critics were urging Sibelius to think in more rigorous symphonic terms. Finland, they argued, needed art that was more international than parochial – a symphony that stood its ground on musical terms alone. Such thinking would give the First Symphony its musical weight irrespective of political context. In his student days in Vienna and Berlin, Sibelius’s teachers had stressed the importance of working through musical themes – lathing them continuously until they were fit for purpose. Ultimately, Sibelius took that advice to a level that couldn’t have been anticipated. Already in this symphony, the composer was handling his material in a distinctive way. Its misty opening on a solitary clarinet doesn’t just prepare us for the shock of the movement’s fast-paced Allegro; it infiltrates the work’s musical ideas like nutrients in their soil. The shape of the clarinet’s theme can be detected in numerous fragments right up to the final bars. The fourth movement launches with a transfigured version of it on thrusting strings. That gesture speaks of another conceptual difference in Sibelius’s symphonic designs: his response to the colours and capabilities of instruments. In a departure from traditional Germanic symphonic argument (which would make sense on a piano), Sibelius allowed the particular colour of instruments and instrumental groups to shape the path of his music. The symphony’s opening clarinet solo presents one example. The long-held pedal notes in the slow Andante, and the pizzicatos of the Scherzo, two more. These led the critic Ernest Newman to conclude that ‘every page breathes of another manner of thought, another way of living, even another landscape.’ That ‘other way of living’ can be rationalized. The use of recitation – a note repeating itself, like something half-sung – has its roots in Finland’s runic singing tradition. Others have heard something distinctly Russian in the clarinet solo, in the fur-wrapped melancholy of the slow movement and in the feverish way in which the final Allegro molto erupts. It’s in this movement that we hear Sibelius at his most unique. The organic treatment of themes continues. But as part of that process, the movement appears to reconcile the symphony’s poles of energy and stasis in a way only Sibelius could have conceived: by tricking us into assuming the music is operating at one distinct velocity when it’s actually locked into another. Andrew Mellor, from Sibelius: Symphony 1 & En Saga; Rouvali & Göteborgs Symfoniker (Alpha, 2019)

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.

The Estonian-born conductor Neeme Järvi is the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra's Principal Conductor Emeritus. He conducts many of the world's most prominent orchestras and works with soloists of the highest class. During his long career, he has made over 450 disc recordings. Under Neeme Järvi's direction from 1982-2004, the Gothenburg Symphony made a series of international tours and made around a hundred disc recordings and established itself among Europe's leading orchestras. Neeme Järvi became chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in 2005, artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He has also been artistic director of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande. He holds the titles of Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Throughout his career, Neeme Järvi has been honored with international honors and awards. In Estonia, these include an honorary doctorate at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn, and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the President of the Republic of Estonia. He has also received the Commander of the Order of the North Star from King Karl XVI Gustaf. He most recently guested with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2024 at the Hasselblad Concert, which was also recorded for GSOplay and Swedish Radio.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Symphony No. 6 Pathetique Op 74 Adagio;Allegro non troppo - Allegro con grazia - Allegro molto vivace - Finale:Adagio lamentoso Few symphonies contain as many outbursts of emotion and sudden mood swings as Tchaikovsky's Sixth, with the telling title Pathétique ("passionate suffering"). It reflects his manic-depressive personality, he suffered throughout his life from crises and often struggled with illness and depression. Tchaikovsky's death in Saint Petersburg, just nine days after he conducted the premiere, also gave the work a tragic aura right from the start. It was even said that the music deliberately foreshadowed his own death, which occurred after he drank cholera-tainted water. Even today, musicologists disagree whether it was an accident or a forced suicide, to avoid public scandal as a homosexual. Is the sixth symphony really a self-composed requiem? This theory is fueled by the "dark" key of B minor, which stands for great passion and tragedy, and by the unusual structure. The main motif that runs throughout the work consists of a plaintive, descending second interval. The gloomy character of the symphony is clear already in the first movement, with its slow, dark introduction. The second movement is reminiscent of Don José's flower aria from Bizet's opera Carmen, which Tchaikovsky greatly admired. Towards the end of the movement there is a chorale-like funeral march, and even a quote from the Russian Orthodox funeral liturgy. The second movement provides some lightening, and Tchaikovsky wrote it in an elegant 5/4 time signature, which is a fairly common time signature in Russian folk music. The "limping" character makes the movement almost humorous, despite the loving waltz or minuet-like style. In the third movement he returns to the march as idea, but it begins as an cheerful scherzo that gradually unfolds in its full life-affirming power. The fourth movement is the most famous in the symphony, and is partly reminiscent of a mournful requiem. The main theme is characterized by sighing motifs, and at the end the music fades into a low string chord in B minor. Tchaikovsky considered the symphony to be his most important, most personal composition, but the premiere was received cautiously.

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.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927) Excelsior! Many have said that Stenhammar's Excelsior! is strongly influenced by Wagner, but there is undeniably much here that would prove to be genuine Stenhammar. The title can be interpreted as "rushing and striving", and the lecture description of the main theme is "passionately agitated". The score is dated Berlin 4 September 1896. It is known that Stenhammar saw a performance of Goethe's Faust in the German capital at this time and that he had purchased Goethe's collected works. The books have been preserved and it can be seen that the volume with Faust was read extensively. Although he clearly had Faust as a literary model, the drama has only helped to create the atmosphere. If any part of Faust has been the direct inspiration, it is the conversation between Faust and his valet Wagner immediately after the parts Prologue in Heaven and Night. The overture was dedicated to the Berlin Philharmonic, which may seem presumptuous for a 25-year-old composer who had written his very first orchestral work. When Stenhammar himself brought the work to his debut concert as conductor with the Royal Court Orchestra in Stockholm on 16 October 1897, it was a great success.

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.

The Estonian-born conductor Neeme Järvi is the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra's Principal Conductor Emeritus. He conducts many of the world's most prominent orchestras and works with soloists of the highest class. During his long career, he has made over 450 disc recordings. Under Neeme Järvi's direction from 1982-2004, the Gothenburg Symphony made a series of international tours and made around a hundred disc recordings and established itself among Europe's leading orchestras. Neeme Järvi became chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in 2005, artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He has also been artistic director of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande. He holds the titles of Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Throughout his career, Neeme Järvi has been honored with international honors and awards. In Estonia, these include an honorary doctorate at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn, and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the President of the Republic of Estonia. He has also received the Commander of the Order of the North Star from King Karl XVI Gustaf. He most recently guested with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2024 at the Hasselblad Concert, which was also recorded for GSOplay and Swedish Radio.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927) Excelsior! Many have said that Stenhammar's Excelsior! is strongly influenced by Wagner, but there is undeniably much here that would prove to be genuine Stenhammar. The title can be interpreted as "rushing and striving", and the lecture description of the main theme is "passionately agitated". The score is dated Berlin 4 September 1896. It is known that Stenhammar saw a performance of Goethe's Faust in the German capital at this time and that he had purchased Goethe's collected works. The books have been preserved and it can be seen that the volume with Faust was read extensively. Although he clearly had Faust as a literary model, the drama has only helped to create the atmosphere. If any part of Faust has been the direct inspiration, it is the conversation between Faust and his valet Wagner immediately after the parts Prologue in Heaven and Night. The overture was dedicated to the Berlin Philharmonic, which may seem presumptuous for a 25-year-old composer who had written his very first orchestral work. When Stenhammar himself brought the work to his debut concert as conductor with the Royal Court Orchestra in Stockholm on 16 October 1897, it was a great success.

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.

The Estonian-born conductor Neeme Järvi is the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra's Principal Conductor Emeritus. He conducts many of the world's most prominent orchestras and works with soloists of the highest class. During his long career, he has made over 450 disc recordings. Under Neeme Järvi's direction from 1982-2004, the Gothenburg Symphony made a series of international tours and made around a hundred disc recordings and established itself among Europe's leading orchestras. Neeme Järvi became chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in 2005, artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He has also been artistic director of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande. He holds the titles of Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Throughout his career, Neeme Järvi has been honored with international honors and awards. In Estonia, these include an honorary doctorate at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn, and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the President of the Republic of Estonia. He has also received the Commander of the Order of the North Star from King Karl XVI Gustaf. He most recently guested with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2024 at the Hasselblad Concert, which was also recorded for GSOplay and Swedish Radio.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

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.

The Estonian-born conductor Neeme Järvi is the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra's Principal Conductor Emeritus. He conducts many of the world's most prominent orchestras and works with soloists of the highest class. During his long career, he has made over 450 disc recordings. Under Neeme Järvi's direction from 1982-2004, the Gothenburg Symphony made a series of international tours and made around a hundred disc recordings and established itself among Europe's leading orchestras. Neeme Järvi became chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in 2005, artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He has also been artistic director of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande. He holds the titles of Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Throughout his career, Neeme Järvi has been honored with international honors and awards. In Estonia, these include an honorary doctorate at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn, and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the President of the Republic of Estonia. He has also received the Commander of the Order of the North Star from King Karl XVI Gustaf. He most recently guested with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2024 at the Hasselblad Concert, which was also recorded for GSOplay and Swedish Radio.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

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.

The Estonian-born conductor Neeme Järvi is the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra's Principal Conductor Emeritus. He conducts many of the world's most prominent orchestras and works with soloists of the highest class. During his long career, he has made over 450 disc recordings. Under Neeme Järvi's direction from 1982-2004, the Gothenburg Symphony made a series of international tours and made around a hundred disc recordings and established itself among Europe's leading orchestras. Neeme Järvi became chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in 2005, artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He has also been artistic director of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande. He holds the titles of Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Throughout his career, Neeme Järvi has been honored with international honors and awards. In Estonia, these include an honorary doctorate at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn, and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the President of the Republic of Estonia. He has also received the Commander of the Order of the North Star from King Karl XVI Gustaf. He most recently guested with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2024 at the Hasselblad Concert, which was also recorded for GSOplay and Swedish Radio.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

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.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

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.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is musical director of the Orchestre National de Lyon since 2020. He regularly appears as a guest conductor with world leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After a successful debut as conductor of The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Znaider was immediately invited back to conduct Der Rosenkavalier in the fall of 2019. He has also conducted the Royal Danish Opera and the Zurich Opera House. Nikolaj Znaider continues his career as a prominent violinist with concerts and recitals. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Singapore Symphony, where he has also combined both playing and conducting. He has also returned to London's Wigmore Hall, for performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Saleem Ashkar. Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent and is the chairman of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays a Kreisler Guarnerius del Gesu from 1741, which he has received on generous loan from the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.