Anna von Hausswolff and Mikael Karlsson to write for star-studded Baltic Sea Festival 2025

The Baltic Sea Festival opens its 23rd edition on 28 August. For eleven days, from 28 August to 7 September, the audience is invited to a packed world-class music programme. International stars such as pianist Piotr Anderszewski, violinist Maria Dueñas, soprano Asmik Grigorian and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen take to Berwaldhallen’s stage. World premiere of the new work ‘Grand Guignol’ by Anna von Hausswolff and Mikael Karlsson. In addition, Italian baroque, swinging jazz with Sofia Jernberg and Per Texas Johansson and a guest performance by one of the world's best youth orchestras. The programme and tickets will be released today, 5 March at 12 noon at berwaldhallen.se.

This year's festival opens on the Baltic Sea Day, 28 August, with two masterpieces by Bruch and Brahms. Grammy Award-winning conductor Alan Gilbert will lead the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester and the 22-year-old Spanish violin star Maria Dueñas as soloist.

The following day, 29 August, will see the world premiere of a new work by Mikael Karlsson and Anna von Hausswolff: ‘Grand Guignol’, inspired by the French theatre tradition, where darkness, horror and ecstasy take place and create spaces of sounds and emotions. The work will be performed with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Choir, conducted by Israeli conductor Omer Meir Wellber.  

The festival's international guest performances include the Polish star pianist Piotr Anderszewski who visits the Berwaldhallen stage with a program of Bartók & Brahms on 3 September. The early music will have its own evening this year when the Italian Baroque ensemble La Fonte Musica interprets Claudio Monteverdi's beautiful St. Mary's Day Passion on 5 September. The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester from Vienna is considered one of the world's best youth orchestras. On 30 August they will perform at the Baltic Sea Festival. Together with French violinist Renaud Capuçon, they will perform music by Korngold and Tchaikovsky under the direction of Manfred Honeck.

The Baltic Sea Festival will also embellish an evening at Fasching, hosted by jazz stars Sofia Jernberg & Per Texas Johansson on 4 September.

On 6 September, the Swedish Radio Choir and their principal guest conductor Krista Audere will perform the technologically innovative work ‘Calligrammes’ by Carl Unander-Scharin, as well as works by Caroline Shaw, Jaako Mäntyjärvi and Alvin Vikman. On the same evening, Schubert's beloved Octet in F major will be performed by Dutch violinist and Berwaldhallen's new Artist in Residence* Janine Jansen and musicians from the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Venue, time and tickets for these concerts will be released later.

This year's festival theme is Waves, symbolising everything from sound and light to the movement of history and emotions. This will be heard in three new works by Ida Lundén, Åke Parmerud and Kajsa Lindgren, based on old radio broadcasts and commissioned by Swedish Radio P2. The works will be performed as a bonus concert on 29 August. In Waves - Arts Lab, young composers and soloists will meet for an intimate and exploratory concert on 4 September.

Children of all ages are welcome to the Berwaldhallen Family Day on Sunday 31 August. During the day, you can try out instruments with the School of Music and Performing Arts' orchestra school, meet the Radio Monkey, go on a quiz walk and see the exciting performance ‘Sonja and the Dream of the Sea’ with music by Emmy Lindström and script by Henrik Ståhl, among many other fun things!

Festival co-founder and recent Grammy Award-winning conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, together with soprano Asmik Grigorian, will present a Grand finale on 7 September with Streich's 'Flügel', four emotional farewell songs from Strauss' 'Vier letzte lieder' and Bruckner's romantic Fourth Symphony. This will be Esa-Pekka Salonen's first appearance as Berwaldhallen's Artist in Residence during the 2025-2026 concert season*.

– For almost 25 years, the Baltic Sea Festival has been a musical meeting place for inspiration and faith in the future. Few other institutions have the opportunity to implement such a rich festival programme like Public service. This year's edition offers international guest performances of the highest calibre, newly written Swedish music and a wide range of genres – from classical to jazz and the popular family day. We really hope that the audience will appreciate it, and we welcome everyone to the Baltic Sea Festival in August!’ says Staffan Becker, General Manager of the Swedish Radio Concert Hall Berwaldhallen.

In total, the programme includes 13 events with music and talks over eleven days. Read more about the Baltic Sea Festival, the full programme and its partners at balticseafestival.com. Tickets will be released on 5 March at 12.00 at berwaldhallen.se

Download press images for the Baltic Sea Festival 2025.

More information about Berwaldhallen's Artists in Residence will be released on 25 March.
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