Göteborgs Konserthus Hasselblad Award Concert: Carmina Burana

Event has already taken place

Experience Carl Orff’s masterpiece Carmina Burana, beloved for its power and mystique. This thundering drama for choir and orchestra is conducted by Emilia Hoving. The concert is part of the celebration of the 2025 Hasselblad Award, the world’s biggest photography award, this year presented to Sophie Ristelhueber. We also hear the Swedish premiere of a new, exciting French composition in which composer Camille Pépin depicts atmospheric charges before a storm.

The popular choral work Carmina Burana had its world premiere in 1937 and depicts life’s pleasures – celebrations, money and other delights – not infrequently with sexual undertones. The lyrics come from fierce Medieval manuscripts that mocked the king and the church. The introduction’s O Fortuna has become one of the greatest hits of choral music.

Carl Orff was politically and aesthetically provocative with this evocative drama. He was fascinated by the passionate folklore poems and sought that same intensity in the music. In addition to soprano, tenor, baritone and boys’ choir, he appointed trios of woodwinds and brass, five timpani, six percussionists, a celesta, two pianos and strings – all to capture the good things in life.

Performed here with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Choir, Gothenburg Symphony Vocal Ensemble and vocal soloists David Roy baritone, Clarice Granado soprano and Michael Smallwood tenor.

Hasselblad Award

Victor Hasselblad (1906–1978) was a Swedish photographer and entrepreneur, known for the Gothenburg-based company Hasselblad, which became a world leader in the production of cameras and photography equipment. He was passionate about photography and his own photos – especially of nature and landscapes – reflected his technical skill and artistic eye. He is a central figure of Swedish photography history and his legacy lives on through the Hasselblad Award – the world’s most prestigious photography prize.

The 2025 award is presented to French artist Sophie Ristelhueber, whose unique work explores landscapes and territories, both public and private. Through her series from war-torn regions, she has challenged the field of journalistic photography and developed her own visual language. Take the opportunity to see her photos at the Hasselblad Center in the award-winner’s first solo exhibition in Sweden, from 11 October 2025 to 18 January 2026.