As autumn 2026 approaches, Nordiska Kammarorkestern stands ready to inaugurate its new season with a musically grandiose project. Thursday, September 3, 2026, marks the start of the concert year with a performance at Tonhallen, Sundsvall, followed by a show at Kulturens Hus in Luleå on Saturday, September 5. The evenings revolve around Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, a monumental work that took the composer over 14 years to complete and is now one of the most beloved in classical symphonic literature.
The orchestra’s musical leader, Malin Broman, takes on the role of both performing leader and soloist during these concerts. This means the orchestra will perform the program without a conductor, an unusual and challenging format that requires exceptional collaboration and responsiveness from the whole ensemble. Brahms’ first symphony is characterized by a dramatic opening, a lyrical second movement, a playful third section, and a triumphant finale—elements that place great demands on both technique and cohesion. According to Broman, every bar is permeated by Brahms’ perfectionism, something the audience will notice through a cohesive and artistically engaging interpretation.
In addition to Brahms, the program also features Louise Farrenc’s powerful Overture No. 2 in E-flat major, a composer whose orchestral works have gained increasing recognition on concert stages worldwide. Furthermore, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s warm and vibrant Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major will be performed, further broadening the concert evening and creating a varied musical whole.
An Ambitious Symphony Cycle
The season opening also marks the beginning of a long-term project in which Nordiska Kammarorkestern will perform all four of Brahms’ symphonies during the 2026/2027 and 2027/2028 seasons. Symphony No. 2 is planned for spring 2027, Symphony No. 3 for autumn 2027, and the series concludes with Symphony No. 4 in spring 2028. Embracing the entire symphonic suite constitutes a major artistic undertaking for the orchestra, both in scale and resources.
To do justice to Brahms’ extensive orchestration, the ensemble will be expanded with ten extra musicians—a rare reinforcement for a chamber orchestra and a sign of the trust and commitment the orchestra feels from its audience. The choice to perform these powerful works with a performing leader instead of a conductor places especially high demands on concentration, communication, and mutual trust among the musicians. It will be a unique challenge for the ensemble and an extraordinary experience for the audience.
These opening concerts thus mark not only the return of live symphonic music to Tonhallen and Kulturens Hus, but also the start of an exceptional musical journey. In the coming seasons, audiences in Sundsvall, Luleå, and elsewhere will have the opportunity to experience Brahms’ entire symphonic genius—performed with intensity, commitment, and the special closeness that only a chamber orchestra can offer.
- Thursday, September 3, 2026 – Tonhallen, Sundsvall
- Saturday, September 5, 2026 – Kulturens Hus, Luleå
