Newsletter, October 2013

Maestro Petter Sundkvist turns to new challenges

This autumn, Petter Sundkvist, one of the most sought after Swedish conductors today, closes his long period as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Norbotten Chamber Orchestra in Piteå with a great gala concert and a tour titled “Maestro vänder blad” (Maestro turns the page), in which Petter’s favourites in the repertoire of the orchestra will be played.

In the province of Norrbotten in the far north of Sweden, Petter Sundkvist, himself born in a small mining community there, has for more than a decade built up regional music life through his assiduous work with the Norbotten Chamber Orchestra, the Piteå Chamber Opera and the Norbotten NEO.

Question: After many successful years new challenges are in store for you. What is your ambition for the future?

Answer: After leaving the artistic leadership for Norbotten’s classical ensembles, I have felt a yearning for returning to the symphonic repertoire and grand opera. Working for a long time with older as well as contemporary music has influenced my artistry. I now have a desire to move on and bring this experience with me to more traditional symphonic repertoire and opera.

Q: Earlier you were Principal Conductor of Musica Vitae and also First Guest Conductor of the Gavle Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. How do you experience the difference between having a position and being a free-lancer?

A: conductor always feels as a free-lancer because you can never rest on your laurels. You will always be judged by your latest production, but naturally a long-term contract gives you a certain security and perhaps more room for taking on risky repertoire projects.

Q: With more than a hundred first performances of works by Nordic composers one can certainly  maintain that a large part of your work is dedicated to contemporary art music. Not least is this obvious in your work with the Norbotten NEO which is cooperating with the Stockholm Concert Hall this season. Tell us about some of the exciting new projects you are in charge of!

A: I may have left the artistic leadership for the NNEO but I still often conduct the ensemble. Recently we released a double CD with Steve Reich and a CD with Swedish music containing some of the best works we have commissioned over the years. In October the NNEO starts a two-year cooperation period with the Stockholm Concert Hall. I look forward to conducting the concerts. At present I am engaged in a new one-year orchestra education at the Piteå Academy of Music. In the course of 2014 a symphony orchestra consisting of 49 students from all over the world will be formed and will work like a professional orchestra giving some 14 productions. As tutors some of the foremost section principals and concertmasters from various orchestras, among them the 1^st Concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker. I am in charge of the education and will conduct some of the productions.

Petter Sundkvist studied under Jorma Panula at the Stockholm Royal College of Music. Over the years he has worked with a number of Scandinavian orchestras, been in charge of some twenty productions at Swedish opera houses and conducted symphony orchestras in Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Holland, just to mention a few. His discography includes internationally acclaimed recordings above all of Nordic music, on Naxos and BIS for instance. “Maestro vänder blad” will tour Norbotten 19-24 Nov. But even before that Petter Sundkvist will make a tour with the Norbotten NEO to Stockholm, Västerås and other places with the production “New Sweden”, and also a tour with the Piteå Chamber Opera’s “A Laugh to Cry”, which was a great success in Warsaw and Lisbon earlier this year. 

Photo by Anders Alm

…………………………………….………………………………………

Michael Weinius

Michael Weinius is back at the Royal Swedish Opera, this time in the title-role of Parsifal, directed by Christof Loy and opening on Oct. 5. Further performances on Oct. 8, 12, 16, 20, 27 and Nov. 7.

Daniel Frank

Daniel Frank soon starts rehearsing at The State Opera in Prague, where he next year will sing the title-role of Tannhäuser on Jan. 11 and 23, Febr. 5 and 15 and Mar. 2. Already on Oct. 6 and 13 he sings Laca Klemen’s part in Theater Kiel’s production of Leoš Janáček’s brutal opera Jenůfa.

The Stenhammar Quartet

The Stenhammar Quartet who records all the string quartets by Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927) at BIS Records has now released the second CD of three. It contains Stenhammar’s String Quartets Nos. 5 and 6 and the world première recording of String Quartet in F minor. The first volume which was released at the beginning of the summer got splendid reviews in the press, for instance in the Guardian.

Yinjia Gong

On 24 and 25 Oct. Yinjia Gong celebrates Verdi’s 200th anniversary together with Marc Soustrot who conducts the Malmö Symphony Orchestra with highlights from La Traviata, Rigoletto and Aida. During this season Yinjia will sing the role of Prinz Sternschnuppe in Paul Lincke’s merry Berlin  operetta Frau Luna at Theater Regensburg, where he will also do Rodolfo in La Bohème.

Maria Fontosh

Maria Fontosh once again sings Tatiana’s part in Tchaikovsky’s much loved opera Eugene Onegin at the Vanemuine Theatre in Tarttu. Paul Mägi conducts the new production opening on Oct. 31. Maria was recently the soloist in Lars-Erik Larsson’s God in Disguise with the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra.

Daniel Hope

Daniel Hope was the soloist in the gala concert ”October ’43” at The Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen in the presence of Queen Margrethe. The concert took place on Oct. 2 in happy remembrance of the successful rescue of Danish Jews from Nazi-Denmark to Sweden 70 years ago.