Blomstedt 90

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 was originally dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte, but when Napoleon went from being a fighter for democracy to the French emperor, the dedication was withdrawn, and the symphony was named Eroica. When Richard Strauss was on his deathbed, he said that Tod und Verklärung, the symphonic poem he wrote around the age of 20, sounded exactly like how it feels to leave this earth. Wagner himself was never happy with his opera Tannhäuser, but even so, it is one of the most performed operas in the world. The Tannhäuser Overture is equally a much-loved concert piece. The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra will play four symphonic poems by Strauss this season – don’t miss the others!