…a journey of self-discovery through music. 

Concerto Copenhagen presents music by “the Swedish Handel,” music that changed Swedish music forever…

This concert tells a story we have heard many times before: A young, talented artist sets out into the world in search of inspiration, and through his encounter with the wider world, his life and art are transformed. Countless artists undertook these “journeys of self-discovery” in the 18th and 19th centuries. But this journey of self-discovery would prove to have far-reaching consequences, not only for the artist himself, but also for art and history as a whole. For this journey changed Swedish music forever.

In 1716, the young Swedish violinist and composer Johan Helmich Roman traveled to London on a study trip. Roman came from the German-dominated music scene in Stockholm to a London where the dominant musical trend was Italian, as exemplified by the recently arrived G. F. Handel. Roman quickly became an active part of London’s musical life. He played in Handel’s orchestra the King’s Theatre and met other musicians and composers from all over Europe—all of whom had come to London to take part in the Italian musical celebration, but who also brought their own traditions and styles from home.

So when Roman returned to Stockholm in 1721, he did so as a well-educated, modern-minded musician and a brilliant violinist. And most importantly, as a composer, he had acquired a thorough knowledge of new European stylistic trends, not only in opera but also in instrumental music. Roman remained associated with the Swedish court orchestra throughout his life, and his stay in London thus not only influenced “the father of Swedish music,” as Roman is known today, but also changed the history of Swedish music.

This program features the music that Johan Helmich Roman, known as “the Swedish Handelencountered in London, as well as the music he composed himself.