Klas Torstensson’s magnificent opera The Expedition tells the story of Andrée’s ill-fated Arctic journey – a subject that has fascinated Torstensson since his early teens. We hear Intermezzo and Epilogue from the opera – two sections that vividly reflect the contrasts in his music. The beautiful epilogue, a kind of aria based on letters and diary entries, comes strikingly close to Puccini in its lyrical depth.

Composer Festival – The Expedition

Stockholm City Hall

Volcanic forces, but also the most tender and heartbreakingly emotional music – Klas Torstensson moves between extremes. Born in Sweden but long based in the Netherlands, he is a composer with significant international reach. This year’s Composer Festival focuses primarily on his work from the past two decades, but also includes music from the early 1970s, making the festival a wide-ranging retrospective.

Composer Festival – Opening Concert

Spring takes centre stage in this concert, as French conductor Lucie Leguay makes her debut at Konserthuset Stockholm with an all-French programme. The concert opens with Lili Boulanger’s bright and playful D’un matin de printemps – one of her very last works before her untimely death from Crohn’s disease at just 24 years old.

Ulf Norberg

Events

Upcoming events

May 13, 2026

The Organ Symphony · Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

Past events

Nov 8, 2025

Composer Festival – The Expedition · Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

Nov 6, 2025

Composer Festival – Opening Concert · Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

Future and recently performed repertoire

Organ in The Musical Offering by Bach

Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

Organ in Symphony No. 3 by Saint-Saëns

Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

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