As the season opens, we are thrown into the magical sound world of Swedish composer Anders Hillborg. Hear the world premiere of his new concerto for saxophone and orchestra. The soloist is the composer’s son, award-winning saxophone player Theo Hillborg.

GSOplay: Season Opening with Pekka Kuusisto

Göteborgs Konserthus

Enjoy vibrant saxophone and shimmering sunrise as the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Pekka Kuusisto and Theo Hillborg launch the season. High energy is guaranteed with the sounds of Anders Hillborg, Ida Moberg and Mahler.

Season Opening with Pekka Kuusisto

The Baltic Sea Festival 2026 opens with an evening pulsing with premieres and rhythm! Andres Orozco-Estrada takes the podium at Berwaldhallen for the very first time as Chief Conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra – a long-awaited debut that sets the tone for the festival. Anders Hillborg’s powerful Mahler tribute Hell Mountain receives its Swedish premiere, and Molly Kien’s brand-new work – composed exclusively for the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Choir – will have its world premiere.

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Rythm and ritual

Berwaldhallen

For his return to the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, American conductor Ryan Bancroft has put together a program that, with works from Sweden, Germany, and Great Britain, essentially maps out his personal professional landscape. The concert begins with a young piece from Bancroft's current musical home of Sweden: The leader of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra conducts a work by former NDR Composer in Residence Anders Hillborg. This all-rounder of new music wrote his sonically irresistible "Sound Atlas" on commission from the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, among others. After the triumphant premiere in 2019, the Financial Times wrote: "If Stanley Kubrick were to return for a remake of '2001' and needed a soundtrack, Hillborg would be his man."

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Ryan Bancroft

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

The DSO’s Northern Lights Festival continues with compositions from Sweden and Denmark. Norwegian violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing makes her DSO debut with an ethereal concerto by Anders Hillborg. Principal Guest Conductor Tabita Berglund, a Norwegian native, also leads the orchestra in the dramatic interplay of contrasts in Nielsen’s Fifth.

Northern Lights Festival | Excelsior! and Nielsen

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

South Korean violinist Clara-Jumi Kang performs Lalo’s passionate violin concerto Symphonie Espagnole. Ryan Bancroft also conducts the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in Anders Hillborg’s Beast Sampler, where the orchestra forms a strong, vivid organism. Finally we hear the epic symphony No 1 by Mahler, the Titan.

South Korean violinist Clara-Jumi Kang was a star already as a child, and has visited Sweden on several occasions. At this guest performance she presents the beautiful violin concerto Symphonie Espagnole. French Édouard Lalo composed the concerto around the same time that Bizet’s opera Carmen premiered in Paris, with the same passionate Spanish sound. Audiences received both with great enthusiasm. Later, Tchaikovsky found inspiration from Lalo to compose his own masterful violin concerto.

Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra & Clara-Jumi Kang

Göteborgs Symfoniker

Anders Hillborg’s Beast Sampler was premiered by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra during the 2014 Composer Festival, which was dedicated to Hillborg. Chief Conductor Ryan Bancroft has conducted several of Hillborg’s works, but this is the first time he takes on Beast Sampler.

Mahler, Lalo and Hillborg

Stockholm City Hall

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider conducts music by two close friends and towering figures in music history: Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 and Johannes Brahms’ Tragic Overture. Amalie Stalheim is the soloist in Anders Hillborg’s Cello Concerto from 2020, which has been praised for its intimate soundscape and elegant references to Renaissance music.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider Amalie Stalheim

Oslo Concert Hall

“Vivacious, funny, heroic, eloquent, plain-spoken, thoughtful, and wholly irresistible” – this was a critic’s verdict on Anders Hillborg’s Piano Concerto No. 2 after its world premiere in San Francisco in October 2023 with Emanuel Ax and Esa-Pekka Salonen: “You can’t help but love the results.” Now, this 22-minute “fascinating ball of fun,” written specifically for Ax, will be performed again by Ax and Salonen along with the BRSO. The work is flanked by Ravel’s harmonically refined, rhythmically sensuous, and melodically captivating Le Tombeau de Couperin, which is dedicated to the great French Baroque harpsichordist François Couperin, and Hector Berlioz’s aesthetically uncompromising Symphonie fantastique, whose premiere in 1830 led some to suspect that Berlioz had gone mad, while others heralded him as an icon of modern music.

Esa-Pekka Salonen & Emanuel Ax

Munich Residence

What happens when one of the most visionary conductors and composers of our time is given free rein to create his own concert? In Retrospective: Salonen, you are invited to an evening where boundaries are blurred, both between then and now and between genres. With innovative works by Salonen himself and Jesper Nordin, electronic landscapes, and Rebecka Törnqvist's personal interpretations of Eva Dahlgren's and Anders Hillborg's music, it becomes an exclusive musical reflection of a unique artistry, and a jewel in Salonen's string of concerts during the season as Artist in Residence!

Retrospective: Salonen

How can we fail to be moved by the privilege of hearing, in one of the most beautiful concertos in the repertoire, a great Mozartian like Mitsuko Uchida? Bizet's first symphonic steps and a new work by Anders Hillborg accompany this moment of grace.

Orchestre de Paris / Klaus Mäkelä

Philharmonie de Paris

Join the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and conductor Dinis Sousa on a journey through a dramatic landscape. Eldbjørg Hemsing is the soloist in Hillborg’s wild Violin Concerto. Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony is joyfully captivating.

High above the Sea with Hemsing

Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto is a timeless favourite, though its debut was a disaster, leading Sibelius to withdraw it. Thankfully, he later reworked the piece into a breathtaking masterpiece. Composed while living in the Finnish countryside, its soaring melodies evoke Nordic landscapes. Anders Hillborg’s King Tide also captures nature’s essence, portraying a desolate terrain swept by a piercing wind. Similarly, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Sixth Symphony reflects a world scarred by two world wars. With its unrelenting drama and powerful opening, this symphony leaves a profound impression.

Sibelius' Violin Concerto

Queen Elisabeth Hall

Music Center De Bijloke

When Martin Fröst is invited as Artist in Residence with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in the 2025/2026 season, a signature piece by this extravagant clarinetist is a must: In 1998, the Swede Anders Hillborg wrote his "Peacock Tales" literally specifically for his fellow countryman. In this simultaneously humorous and highly virtuosic clarinet concerto, Fröst's exceptional talent is called upon in several ways. The soloist must not only demonstrate adeptness in all sorts of musical styles from past to present, but also act as a dancer and mime with a mask.

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Martin Fröst / Alan Gilbert

Chief conductor Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic open the season with Gustav Mahler’s enigmatic and multifaceted Symphony No. 7 and Anders Hillborg’s new orchestral work Hell Mountain – a tribute to Mahler, inspired by one of his sources of inspiration in nature.

Season Opener Klaus Mäkelä

Written against the backdrop of the First World War, Carl Nielsen’s Fourth Symphony shifts between turbulent and triumphant as two sets of timpani, winds, and strings wage an internal conflict that ends with the universal truth that the composer described as “music is life, and like life, it is inextinguishable.” Los Angeles-native Ryan Bancroft leads the LA Phil in Nielsen’s primal and spirited symphony as well as Anders Hillborg’s Sound Atlas that channels otherworldly sounds like a glass harmonica to create snowy, crystalline landscapes.

Mozart & Nielsen

Walt Disney Concert Hall

The American pianist legend Emanuel Ax is the soloist in Anders Hillborg’s “The MAC Concerto” from 2023, which was written for him. Klaus Mäkelä also conducts Jean Sibelius’ Lemminkäinen, where the famous Swan of Tuonela is one of four tone poems.

Klaus Mäkelä Emanuel Ax

Magisch – Special Concert

Museum Ludwig

1–2–3, 1–2–3, round and round in circles, usually clockwise but not necessarily: experts, and the Viennese, are capable of going counter-clockwise, too – the waltz is more than just a dance. It embodies euphoria, elegance, and pure energy. Plus, its momentum makes for a great flirting method. Spinning around in triple time gets people closer together, and they can test for future compatibility: The less they step on each other’s feet, the better the prospects. In 1911, Maurice Ravel composed a cycle of »noble and sentimental« waltzes for piano, paying homage to Franz Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, and Robert Schumann. The pieces are witty, creative, and full of surprise effects. Still, the premiere ended in disaster, entailing a shower of mockery and incomprehension. Yet Ravel saw no reason to give up: The following year, he wrote a version for orchestra, serving the ballet music genre. This time, things went a bit better, maybe because the music now had an accessible (and quite perfumed) plot, illustrating the story of a young Parisian woman who is wooed by different men. Where? On the shining dance floor, of course, under sparkling chandeliers.

Magical

Swedish composer Anders Hillborg’s 2021 Viola Concerto is a thrilling, high-energy ride through glistening sonic landscapes, and it’s performed by its dedicatee, the remarkable British violist Lawrence Power. Fellow Swede Madeleine Isaksson, meanwhile, transports us to the raw, ethereal beauty of her country’s far north.

Borealis

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

The Usher Hall

The multi-talented musician has stretched notions of performance well beyond his solo clarinet playing and conducting. Here he is joined by members of his family for a largely dance-based programme.

Martin Fröst Family Trio

Wigmore Hall

Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is one of the most acclaimed soloists in the classical music world. With his warm touch and passionate musicality, he attracts huge audiences. This season, he is the Artist-in-Residence at the Concert Hall.

Víkingur plays Brahms

The concert will consist of a wide variety of styles and ensembles, ranging from baroque to solo with electonics, trombone choir to concerti featuring trombone.

Debut Concert Quinn Parker

Konservatoriets Koncertsal

Explosive energy and charm – some of the key words when super pianist Yuja Wang and Esa-Pekka Salonen shine together at the Baltic Sea Festival. Stravinsky's Capriccio for piano and orchestra , with its modernism that teases the ear just enough to get everyone in a good mood. Prokofiev's first piano concerto, which from start to finish is youthful, virtuosic, pure joy. Sibelius's orchestral tale of Lemminkäinen – the reckless womanizer in Finnish mythology – reflects the protagonist's character: playful, lovesick and with irresistible energy, although a typical Sibelius darkness can be found in the beautiful dull third movement, Tuonela's Swan .

Wang & Salonen

SR Berwaldhallen

Lawrence Power calls the viola his mother tongue, but he has also been known to recite poetry, to conduct-even to pick up a violin. He also co-founded a cross-disciplinary video production. This adventurous British violist wowed the Aspen audience with his performance of Bartók’s Viola Concerto several summers ago, and now returns for what's sure to be an exciting evening of music!

A Recital by Lawrence Power viola

Aspen Meadows Resort

Swedish conductor Christian Karlsen makes his debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra for this free evening studio concert at Maida Vale – with music by five composers.

Karlsen conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra

BBC Maida Vale Studios

Experience the grandeur of classical music at its finest with the "Pictures at an Exhibition 2023/2024" concert series, presented by the esteemed Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. This remarkable event is set to take place on May 17 & 18 at the prestigious Berwaldhallen, showcasing a rich tapestry of orchestral works under the baton of the talented conductor Roberto González-Monjas, marking his debut at Berwaldhallen.

The concert features Modest Mussorgsky’s iconic suite "Pictures at an Exhibition," originally composed for piano but masterfully arranged for orchestra by Maurice Ravel. This piece, inspired by Basque folk music and U.S. jazz, promises to transport audiences through a vivid musical gallery. The evening also highlights a piano concerto performed by the acclaimed Lucas Debargue, alongside Anders Hillborg’s "Eleven Gates," a piece known for its captivating drama and intensity.

The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, a multiple-award-winning ensemble celebrated for its artistic excellence and stylistic versatility, will bring these compositions to life. Under the artistic direction of Daniel Harding, who has led the orchestra since 2007, the performance is guaranteed to be an unforgettable showcase of musical brilliance.

The concert will also be broadcasted live on Swedish Radio P2 on Friday, May 17 at 7:03 pm, allowing music lovers worldwide to partake in this auditory feast. With a program that spans approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes, including an interval, attendees are in for an evening of exquisite musical exploration.

Tickets for this highly anticipated event are in high demand, with availability for the performances on May 17 at 19:00 and May 18 at 15:00 at Berwaldhallen. Don't miss the opportunity to witness the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra's breathtaking rendition of "Pictures at an Exhibition" and other masterpieces, promising an enchanting experience for classical music enthusiasts.

Pictures At An Exhibition

Experience the grandeur of classical music with the "BRAHMS, HILLBORG & FRANCK 2023/2024" concert, presented by the esteemed Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester. This captivating event is set to take place on May 8, marking a highlight in the Berwaldhallen's concert season. Under the baton of the award-winning conductor Marie Jacquot, making her Berwaldhallen debut, audiences will be treated to an evening of exquisite musical selections.

The program features a rich tapestry of compositions, starting with two of Johannes Brahms’ most cherished choral works. Adding to the evening's allure is the celebrated Swedish composer Anders Hillborg’s oboe concerto, showcasing the virtuosic talents of the SRSO’s principal oboist, Emmanuel Laville. The concert will culminate in the romantic fervor of César Franck’s Symphony in D minor, a piece beloved for its lush melodies and dramatic depth.

The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, known for its artistic excellence and stylistic versatility, promises to deliver a performance of the highest caliber. Under the artistic direction of Daniel Harding, the orchestra continues to enchant audiences worldwide with its innovative programming and collaborations with renowned soloists and composers.

Joining the orchestra, the Swedish Radio Choir, under the leadership of Kaspars Putniņš, will add their sublime vocal harmonies to the evening, further enriching the concert experience. Together, these ensembles embody the pinnacle of musical artistry, making this event a must-see for classical music aficionados.

The concert is scheduled to begin at 18:00 at Berwaldhallen. While tickets are in high demand, a few remain available for those wishing to immerse themselves in this unforgettable musical journey. Don't miss the opportunity to witness the harmonious blend of Brahms, Hillborg, and Franck, performed by some of the most distinguished musicians of our time.

Brahms, Hillborg & Franck

Acclaimed pianist Emanuel Ax returns to the NY Phil to perform Swedish composer Anders Hillborg’s new work for piano and orchestra. Also on the program are Sibelius’s tone poem depicting the Finnish people’s struggle for independence and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3, replete with Russian dance rhythms. Conductor Eun Sun Kim makes her NY Phil debut.

Emanuel Ax, Hillborg, and Rachmaninoff

David Geffen Hall

Conductor Laureate Osmo Vänskä, a champion of both new music and rising stars, revisits his beloved Minnesota Orchestra. Through Orchestra commissions by Anders Hillborg and Kevin Puts—plus two bass concertos performed by Nina Bernat, the 2022 FRIENDS of the Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition winner—this concert reflects Vänskä’s wide-ranging and compelling vision for the future of orchestral music.

Osmo Vänskä Returns

Minnesota Orchestra

A new piano concerto by Anders Hillborg! The Max Concerto is written for and dedicated to the outstanding American pianist Emanuel Ax – known among friends as “Manny Ax,” resulting in the title Max. Ax gave the world performance of Hillborg’s second piano concerto in November 2023 with the San Francisco Symphony and Esa-Pekka Salonen. This is the European premiere, led by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s chief conductor Ryan Bancroft.

Mozart Jupiter Symphony

Johannes Brahms looks back fondly at the past while Ludwig van Beethoven eyes the future. And, in a new piano concerto, Anders Hillborg’s colorful wit meets the genial sophistication of Emanuel Ax.

Davies Symphony Hall

Hailed as "Superb" and "imaginative, skillful creators" by the New York Times, the Calder Quartet captivates audiences exploring a broad spectrum of repertoire, always striving to fulfill the composer’s vision in their performances. The group's distinctive artistry is exemplified by a musical curiosity brought to everything they perform and has led them to be called "one of America’s most satisfying - and most enterprising - quartets". (Los Angeles Times) 



Alaska Airlines’ Autumn Classics Week 2

Fine Arts Building

Join us for a spectacular evening to celebrate the new season! Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the San Francisco Symphony in an exhilarating Opening Night Gala program that interweaves music and technology in a tapestry of heightened emotional journeys and artistic exploration. Bookending the love-sick verses of Gustav Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer, here brought to life by baritone Simon Keenlyside, are Richard Strauss’s picaresque Don Juan and Maurice Ravel’s hypnotic Boléro—all augmented by cutting-edge lighting and video projections created by 59 Productions. And in Anders Hillborg’s Rap Notes, live rappers square off against artificial intelligence in a captivating collision of human creativity and technological prowess.

Opening Night Gala

An expansive anniversary programme celebrating Anders Hillborg, one of today’s most recognised Swedish composers. Among the highlights are Hillborg’s second violin concerto with Norwegian rising star Eldbjørg Hemsing and the large orchestral and choral work Sirens with soloists Ida Falk Winland and Hannah Holgersson. Conductor laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Choir and Eric Ericson Chamber Choir.

Hillborg Anniversary With Esa-pekka Salonen

In Entr’acte, Caroline Shaw, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize and five GRAMMY® Awards, imagines a world of sounds that have always existed but have never been heard before. Inspired by the transition between the minuet and trio in Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 77 No. 2, the work unfolds as a delicate musical fantasy. Anders Hillborg composed Bach Materia as a dialogue with Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. Drawing on Bach’s musical material, he develops it with improvisatory freedom and a contemporary sonic imagination. In his project The Four Seasons Recomposed, Max Richter reconsiders Vivaldi’s famous Four Seasons, revealing them from a fresh, contemporary perspective.

Music Forum HK: Shaw. Hillborg. Richter

Soňa Červená Hall

Principal Guest Conductor Andrew Manze leads the SCO in an eloquent programme that spans centuries and styles, from Nordic refinement to Russian Romanticism.

Tchaikovsky Serenade

City Halls & Old Fruitmarket

The Queen's Hall

Holy Trinity Church St Andrews

SCO 26/27: Tchaikovsky Serenade

Audience favorite Jon Kimura Parker returns to Orchestra Hall to play Hillborg’s seamless MAX Concerto, written for Emanuel (Manny) AX. Then we find Sibelius at work on his Second Symphony while on holiday in Italy. Although it was completed in Finland, you’re sure to feel the warmth of the Italian sun.

Søndergård, Parker and Sibelius

Orchestra Hall Minneapolis

Rites of spring: Stravinsky, Hillborg and a spectacular Mendelssohn rediscovery from Sakari Oramo and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Anders Hillborg

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 15, 2026

Music Forum HK: Shaw. Hillborg. Richter · Prague Philharmonia

4 - 6 Nov, 2026

Tchaikovsky Serenade · Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Nov 5, 2026

SCO 26/27: Tchaikovsky Serenade · The Queen's Hall

5 - 7 Nov, 2026

Søndergård, Parker and Sibelius · Minnesota Orchestra

Dec 4, 2026

Sakari Oramo conducts Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring · Barbican Centre

Past events

Sep 4, 2026

GSOplay: Season Opening with Pekka Kuusisto · Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

3 - 4 Sep, 2026

Season Opening with Pekka Kuusisto · Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

About

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