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DATES:May 8 2026
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TIME:7 p.m.
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STAGE:Main stage
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RUNNING TIME:1 hr 45 mins incl. interval
The Royal Swedish Orchestra's anniversary year continues with an evening dedicated to Richard Strauss, with both singing and orchestral music, all conducted by Thomas Guggeis.
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Subscribe to the newsletter →Welcome spring to the sound of fairies dancing across the meadows in Felix Mendelssohn's magical interpretation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and with Richard Strauss' equally brilliant rendition of another classic of world literature, Cervantes' tragicomic tale Don Quixote! The concert also features three beautiful orchestral songs by Strauss.
Programme Strauss with the Royal Swedish Orchestra
Felix Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night's Dream, overture, op. 21
Richard Strauss Drei Hymnen von Friedrich Hölderlin, op. 71
INTERVAL
Richard Strauss Don Quixote, op. 35
With
The Royal Swedish Orchestra
Opera soloist Sofie Asplund
Soloists Håkan Olsson (viola), Erik Wahlgren (cello)
Conductor Thomas Guggeis
The Orchestra on Swedish public service TV
Hovkapellet - 500 years of music
It all started in 1526 when Gustav Vasa, as newly crowned king, wanted to mark his 'glorious elevation' by hiring 12 'pipers and trumpeters'. Today, around 100 musicians are needed to perform operas, ballets and concerts. At this specially recorded TV concert for the orchestra's 500th anniversary this year, the Royal Swedish Orchestra plays music from the 500 years the orchestra has existed. The Opera's music director and Royal Court Kapellmeister Alan Gilbert holding the baton for this festive concert.
The world's oldest orchestras
The world's five oldest orchestras that, several centuries after they were founded, continue to play today. SVT visits five European cities where music has always been at the center, where the greatest musicians of all time have sought out and many of history's most famous composers have been invited to premiere their works. One of these is Stockholm and the Royal Swedish Orchestra.
