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.

»I’m always overjoyed to be able to work with my beloved Royal Swedish Orchestra« 

//ALAN GILBERT
Music Director & Royal Court Kapellmeister

»The journey continues«, says the Royal Court Kapellmeister, Alan Gilbert. »I’m always overjoyed to be able to work with my beloved Royal Swedish Orchestra. I think there is a unique spirit that this orchestra has, the quality that I look for the most when I conduct orchestras around the world – it’s this desire to make music and tell stories in compelling ways. And I think this orchestra is at the absolute top level as far as that goes. We have so much fun together. And we are doing such a wonderful repertoire this season.«

In the spring of 2025, Alan Gilbert, who is also chief conductor at Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, begins his fifth year as music director at the Royal Opera. The spring season starts with a new production of Mozart's classic Le nozze di Figaro, and with this production Alan Gilbert does his first Mozart opera at the Royal Swedish Opera.

»For me, Mozart is the core of the operatic repertoire – his operas are the seed from which everything grows. I have wanted to do a Mozart opera with the Royal Swedish Orchestra since the day I started here, and now I finally get the chance, with Le nozze di Figaro, which is one of my favorite operas. To say that Mozart is perfect may sound trite, but he really is perfect. He uses traditional forms in his arias, but he has such an incredible ability to set text to music to create a richness of human experience. And Figaro has such consistency between the numbers, it's just hit after hit. Plus, it's extremely funny – it's sophisticated humor. And it really tells the story of what it means to be a person. I love it.«

Alan Gilbert also conducts Wagner's Die Walküre, which he has done previously at the Royal Swedish Opera.

»Among composers, Wagner is one of my favorites to conduct, and I think it is one of the Royal Swedish Opera's favorites as well. We have a very special way to the music of Wagner – there is a kind of comfort and pride that you feel when the Royal Swedish Orchestra plays Wagner. There is also a tradition of Swedish singing that is so strong in these Wagner roles, it goes back to Birgit Nilsson and others. I’m excited to do Die Walküre with the wonderful singers we have in this time around. It is such a strong opera, the story is so compelling. Each act is so different but great in its own way. The final scene, with Wotan's farewell to Brünnhilde and the magic fire music, is heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.«

The season ends with a big concert on the main stage of the Royal Swedish Opera, where Gilbert conducts the Royal Swedish Orchestra in Johannes Brahms's first symphony.

THE MEMBERS OF
THE ROYAL SWEDISH ORCHESTRA

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