Stenhammar with Pöntinen

In 2027 we celebrate the centenary of Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927), and Norrköping Symphony Orchestra marks the occasion with a concert dedicated to his two "seconds" - both portal works in the Swedish orchestral repertoire.

Piano Concerto No. 2 is performed by Roland Pöntinen. Compared to the first concerto, it is a work of greater depth and symphonic power, where the piano is an equal partner to the orchestra. The music moves from dark, forceful outbursts to moments of brilliant clarity, and the finale culminates in triumph.

Symphony No. 2 emerged from a profound artistic crisis: Stenhammar heard Sibelius' second symphony and immediately withdrew his own first, determined to write something equally fine. In the symphony, Nordic freshness unites with classical form and a rare sense of sonority and balance. The first movement pulses with energy, the second offers warm lyricism, the scherzo sparkles with rhythmic joy - and in the finale everything finds resolution in a triumphant conclusion.

The orchestra is conducted by Tobias Ringborg, renowned as a leading interpreter of Stenhammar.