Göteborgs Konserthus On the Podium: Johannes Gustavsson

Event has already taken place. "The organ symphony" with Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Magnus Kjellson organ and conductor Johannes Gustavsson.

Concert length: 2 h incl. intermission Scene: Stora salen
500 SEK Student 250 SEK
Dates & Tickets
Programme & Participants

Event has already taken place

We continuously adapt to the advice and recommendations of the Swedish Public Health Agency, the government and Region Västra Götaland. Due to the stricter restrictions, we can only welcome a limited audience to the concerts. This means that all tickets to this concert will be redeemed, including seats purchased in subscriptions. Instead, we offer you to buy a ticket to the limited audience seats that are released on Saturday 29 January 11.00, with booking priority for subscribers via the web profile starting on Friday 28 January 11.00. We contact everyone who bought a ticket to affected concerts via email. Here you will find answers to the most common questions we get right now.

Here’s something many have been waiting for: Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3, “Organ”! It was more than 30 years since it was last performed in the Gothenburg Concert Hall, and now it makes for a real revival.

The Concert Hall’s old organ got older and lost its energy, but since October 2021 a new, magnificent organ built by Rieger Orgelbau is in place. The new organ has much of its inspiration from the pioneering French organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll – and it was his organs Saint-Saëns had in mind when he wrote the Third Symphony. It is full of shimmering sound effects, sweeping melodies and lively solo passages, not least for the two pianists who challenge the majestic organ part.

More soloists from the orchestra meet up in Lisa Streich’s fresh Jubelhemd, “The Rejoicing Shirt”, a concerto grosso inspired by two works of art and composed for the Swedish Royal Academy of Music’s 250th anniversary.

The concert is opened by Victoria Borisova-Ollas Angelus, also composed for a birthday: the city of Munich’s 850th anniversary. The city’s churches, bells and chimes appear one after the other in Angelus, as sharp contours against the sky or diffuse shapes in the cityscape. Munich is in many ways a city of bells: ”If measured by the intensity of its daily bell-ringing Munich would undoubtedly prove to be the most vivid city in modern Europe”, writes Victoria Borisova-Ollas.

Conductor Johannes Gustavsson and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra are in a long and loving relationship: in 2022, the pair will celebrate its twentieth anniversary! They’ve worked together for two decades – or thirty-five concerts and multiple studio sessions, the latest record of which features world premieres of Elfrida Andrée, Valborg Aulin and Ida Moberg (Nilento).

Introduction to the concert

Welcome to a free introduction to the concert one hour before the concert starts, in the Great Hall. The introduction is in Swedish.

Programme

VICTORIA BORISOVA-OLLAS (f 1969) ANGELUS Staden där inga fåglar sjunger och inga klockor ringer är en död stad. Om intensiteten i dess dagliga klockringning var avgörande skulle München utan tvekan visa sig vara den mest levande staden i det moderna Europa. När jag fick en förfrågan från Münchens filharmoniska orkester att komponera ett verk till stadens 850-årsjubileum bestämde jag mig för att besöka München för första gången i mitt liv. Det var en helg i slutet av september 2006. På söndagsmorgonen, när Peterskyrkan hade sin första klockringning, började jag en lång promenad runt staden, försedd med en tjock guidebok och en digital bandspelare. Den första klockan som ringde på min inspelning var naturligtvis den från Peterskyrkan. Vid middagstid spelades också ljudet av rådhusets underbara klockspel in. Klockan 17.45 stod jag framför Vårfrukyrkan och väntade med stor otålighet på att klockorna skulle ringa till Angelusbönen. Efteråt följde jag med människorna som deltog i "Nationernas gudstjänst", en ganska anmärkningsvärd kvällsgudstjänst på fem olika språk. I slutet av den minnesvärda dagen var titeln och strukturen för den framtida kompositionen tydlig för mig. Angelus börjar med en antydan till en keltisk sång, som en mycket vag hälsning från antiken. Ur dimman i det avlägset förflutna dyker kyrkans första klockringningar upp. Det är en imitation av Peterskyrkan tidigt på morgonen. Klockorna från de närliggande kyrkorna förenar sig. De åtföljs av ljudet av sjungande fåglar (träblåsare). Den ihållande energin från tiden som snabbt och kraftfullt går förbi återspeglas i nästa avsnitt, följt av ett minutlångt stopp vid Marienplatz. Från rådhusets klockspel hörs 3 Höfelein-melodin av Friedrich Silcher. Efteråt glider vi gradvis in i Vårfrukyrkans Angelus-ringning och in i kvällens gudstjänst. I slutet av verket hörs dagens sista ringning från Peterskyrkan, än en gång. När jag gick till mitt hotell längs gatorna i München den söndagskvällen ekade följande ord i mitt sinne: "Hur ofta vi än förlorar tron på vår Herre, förlorar han aldrig sin tro på oss". För 850 år sedan klingade kyrkklockan i hjärtat av den framtida staden München för första gången, slagen av en ensam munks hand. Det har aldrig slutat ringa sedan dess. VICTORIA BORISOVA-OLLAS
Streich JUBELHEMD Concerto Grosso for Quartet and Orchestra 18 min
Intermission 25 min
Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 "Organ Symphony" 37 min

Participants

The Gothenburg Symphony, called "one of the world's most formidable orchestras" by the Guardian, has toured the USA, Europe, Japan and the Far East and performed at major music centres and festivals throughout the world. Chief conductor is Santtu-Matias Rouvali who started his tenure in 2017. Barbara Hannigan and Christoph Eschenbach are principal guest conductors since 2019. Already at the orchestra's very first years, the great Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar was appointed principal conductor, contributing strongly to the Nordic profile of the orchestra by inviting his colleagues Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius to conduct their own works. Subsequent holders of the post include Sergiu Comissiona, Sixten Ehrling and Charles Dutoit. During Neeme Järvi's tenure (1982-2004), the orchestra became a major international force. In 1997 it was appointed the National Orchestra of Sweden. During his celebrated tenure as music director (2007-2012), Gustavo Dudamel took the Orchestra to major music centres and festivals in Europe, making acclaimed appearances at BBC Proms and Vienna Musikverein. The list of prominent guest conductors has included Wilhelm Furtwängler, Pierre Monteux, Herbert von Karajan, Myung-Whun Chung, Herbert Blomstedt and Sir Simon Rattle. The orchestra also runs extensive concert projects for children, and regularly releases digital live concerts free on gsoplay.se. The orchestra has been involved in many prestigious recording projects, the latest one the complete Sibelius Symphonies with Santtu-Matias Rouvali for Alpha Classics. Earlier, the orchestra has issued over 100 recordings on BIS, Deutsche Grammophon, Chandos, Farao Classics and several other labels. The Gothenburg Symphony is owned by the Region Västra Götaland.
Johannes Gustavsson conductor
Lars Mårtensson viola
Bengt Danielsson trumpet
Roger Carlsson percussion
Erik Groenestein-Hendriks harp
Magnus Kjellson orgel
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