Göteborgs Konserthus Great Feelings from Then and Now

Lars Danielsson (b 1958) Schlagwerk - Concerto for percussion, double bass and orchestra Commissioned by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra Over the years, I have had the pleasure of composing for the Gothenburg Symphony a number of times. Always loved their sound and passion for music. I have known several musicians in the orchestra for a long time, and as a composer I think of the special individuals in the orchestra. I want my piece to sound beautiful of course, but also to be inspiring to play for the musicians. Schlagwerk is a work for Roger Carlsson specifically, and his unique mind to think broadly and openly when it comes to music. The idea has been that his broad spectrum for various percussion instruments will come to the fore. The first movement is a long journey with a theme that runs through the entire movement, in its different guises. A secondary theme appears in the middle of the movement. Roger plays on his percussion set but also on vibraphone and marimba. The inspiration from impressionism is probably noticeable here, music from America dated to the first part of the 20th century. It then transitions into a rhythmic part in 7/4 time inspired by the music I normally play. The second movement is an improvisation with Roger on "hang drum" and me on double bass, which then turns into a ballad with piano and orchestra. It is adapted to the notes that the drum contains. The third and last movement is a theme reminiscent of the music we play in my band Liberetto. It is in an odd time signature and has influences from baroque, South American, Arabic and Swedish folk music, medieval sacred music and Hitchcock films. Here Roger plays a cimbalom. Lars Danielsson

Bruckner was old and sickly, wrinkled and bald when the Ninth Symphony was written. After a long life of setbacks and condescending dismissals, he had finally been accepted by the establishment. Perhaps it was a consolation when he sat at the lectern and wrote down his notes on the large sheets of paper in the dark apartment in Vienna. Much has been written about how Bruckner expanded the harmonics in the spirit of Wagner (that is, left the well-trodden paths of the keys for adventurous expeditions into the wilds of music) and in his unique orchestration let chords and timbres change color in the parts that wander from instrument to instrument, section to section, but yet form an astonishing whole. Bruckner stands there proudly with his timbre blocks, general pauses and eternal themes, in the Ninth Symphony stronger than ever. And the climaxes! These mountain climbs whose most important function, paradoxically enough, is to be able to see the entire beauty of the tranquil valleys from its breathtaking heights. Bruckner had previously dedicated a symphony each to Ludwig II of Bavaria and Emperor Franz Joseph I, so for the ninth there was only one option left in the hierarchy: God. On a visit to his doctor Richard Heller, the composer told: "Now I dedicate my latest work to the majesty of all majesties, our beloved God, and hope he will give me sufficient time to finish the work." This was not the case, and perhaps it strengthened the dream of fulfillment, because when a dream comes true, it is already over.

The Gothenburg Symphony was formed in 1905 and today consists of 109 musicians. The orchestra's base is Göteborgs Konserthus, the funk gem at Götaplatsen that has gathered music lovers since 1935. Since the 2017-2018 season, Santtu-Matias Rouvali has been Chief conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony. 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. 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 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.

Finnish John Storgårds is chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and principal guest conductor of Canada's National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa. As both conductor and violinist, John Storgårds is known for his creative programming. As artistic director of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra, he was praised for the ensemble's adventurous performances and award-winning recordings. John Storgårds performs with orchestras such as Berliner Philharmoniker, Bamberger Symphoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Münchner Philharmoniker, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchester National de France, Orchestra Sinfonica Nationale della RAI, BBC Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra as well as all major Nordic orchestras. He was 2008-2015 chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. He also regularly returns to the Münchener Kammerorchester, where he was artistic partner from 2016-2019. He appears with orchestras in Sydney and Melbourne, the Yomiuri Nippon and NHK Symphony Orchestras as well as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Soloists he works with are Yefim Bronfman, Sol Gabetta, Kirill Gerstein, Håkan Hardenberger, Lucas and Arthur Jussen, Kari Kriikku, Gil Shaham and Anne Sofie von Otter. Highlights in 2023-2024 include performing at the BBC Proms with the BBC Philharmonic with the world premiere of a work by Gerald Barry and the first symphonies of Sibelius and Rachmaninov. John Storgårds was concertmaster in the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra during the Esa-Pekka Salonen, before he studied conducting with Jorma Panula and Eri Klas. He has been a well-known guest of the Gothenburg Symphony for many years.

Roger Carlsson holds a position as principal percussionist in Göteborgs Symfoniker. He is also teaching at the University of Gothenburg and is engaged in various projects in Europe and Venezuela concerning professional coaching of young musicians. As soloist, Roger Carlsson, has appeared with various Nordic Symphony Orchestras, performed on radio and TV on many occasions and appears on several recordings. He has toured in Scandinavia, Europe, the US and Asia as part of various chamber groups. A number of composers have written works for him. Roger Carlsson got his percussion degree at the University of Gothenburg School of Music and has also studied at the Swedish Royal Academy of Music and the National Center for Orchestral studies in London. He spent a season in New York, studying mainly with Elden C Bailey at the Juilliard School of Music, but also attended master classes with leading percussionists and timpanists in the US.

Bassist, composer and arranger Lars Danielsson is a respected name on the international jazz scene, known for his unique sound. At the beginning of his career, he studied cello at the University of Music in Gothenburg and from there moved on to double bass and jazz. For 18 years he led the Lars Danielsson Quartet with saxophonist Dave Liebman, pianist Bobo Stenson and drummer Jon Christensen. Among other great jazz musicians he has collaborated with are Mike Mainieri, Vince Mendoza, Charles Lloyd, John Abercrombie, Trilok Gurtu and Joe Lovano. As a composer, he has written for Danish Radio's Concert Orchestra and NDR Radio's Big Band. In 2007, the commissioned work Corazon Celeste for cello/bass, trio and orchestra was premiered by the Gothenburg Symphony. Gunilla Brodrej wrote in Expressen: "And then! An absolutely lovely melody that takes a harmonic detour before it naturally settles closest to the heart!" Lars Danielsson has released over 15 solo albums since 1980 with his quartet and other constellations. In 2023, the album Lars Danielsson Symphonized was released where his music is played by the Gothenburg Symphony under the direction of Peter Nordahl.