Skilled ORCHESTRA with a long history

Musicians who had come to Sweden from Europe laid the foundation for the Royal Swedish Orchestra. Almost 500 years later it is not only one of the world’s oldest orchestras; with 105 members it is also the largest orchestra in Sweden. From having been a royal institution under Gustav Vasa, the orchestra has been at the heart of the Royal Opera since its inception in 1773, bringing together all its disciplines. The orchestra is normally found in the orchestra pit between the main stage and the stalls. But like the Royal Swedish Opera Chorus, members of the orchestra also participate in lunch concerts and at surprise events. The Royal Swedish Opera music director and international conductor Alan Gilbert is head of the Royal Swedish Orchestra since 2021. Below you can hear him speak about his career, the profession of conducting and working with the Royal Swedish Orchestra.

»It's a privilege to be in the driver's seat of a performance« 

//ALAN GILBERT
Music Director & Royal Court Kapellmeister

Alan Gilbert combines his role as Music Director and Royal Court Kapellmeister at the Royal Swedish Opera with another prestigious assignment, as Chief Conductor of the Elbe Philharmonic Orchestra in Hamburg. In addition, he regularly serves as Conductor Laureate of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.

»It's a privilege to be in the driver's seat of a performance«, says Alan Gilbert about his role of leading the Royal Swedish Orchestra together with soloists and chorus. He praises his Royal Swedish Orchestra for its soulful sound and technical brilliance, but also for its special identity which he associates with a long (nearly 500-year-old) tradition.

During the spring, the Royal Swedish Opera's audience enjoyed Gilbert's interpretation of Wagner's Parsifal, with Peter Mattei among others in the cast. This fall sees the premiere of Alban Berg's Wozzeck, again with the Gilbert-Mattei combination.

Wozzeck is perhaps the most famous of the modernist operas of the early 20th century. But that it would be an atonal opera is something that Alan Gilbert does not agree with at all.

»Wozzeck is to the highest degree a tonal opera. It was rather that Alban Berg pushed the boundaries of romantic harmony. The main character arouses our compassion and sympathy. The way the work forces a settlement with the twisted society of the time is something we can really identify with. Unfortunately, the problem is still current. Wozzeck is undoubtedly one of the great operas.«

THE MEMBERS OF
THE ROYAL SWEDISH ORCHESTRA

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