Postcard from Gothenburg
In 1621, King Gustav II Adolf pointed to a pile of mud on the west coast of Sweden. That pile of mud became the city of Gothenburg, spreading out on either side of the Göta river with stunning archipelagos to the north and south.
Read more…Gothenburg will mark its 400th birthday in 2021 with the completion of its first ever 'Ring' cycle, a mark of the city's musical eminence today. It's not just opera. Famously home to Volvo, Gothenburg has swapped heavy industry for weighty culture, reinventing itself as a leading light in culture and sustainability. But the city can't escape its Nordic Noir atmosphere. Brutal weather and industrial grime has influenced much of the dark-tinged music that has come from here, most famously from Swedish maverick Kurt Atterberg.
Atterberg was a local, but plenty of musicians were lured from elsewhere. Bedřich Smetana lived in Gothenburg, Carl Nielsen sought refuge here and Wilhelm Stenhammar breathed life into the town's orchestra, which became one of the finest in Scandinavia and has a knack for signing excellent young conductors (Gustavo Dudamel and Sanntu-Matias Rouvali, for example). Our playlist includes music written here and conducted here by those figures, as well as excellent Gothenburg ensembles of all kinds.