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Roman, Handel. London

Author Sabrina

Published on: October 12, 2023

...an educational journey in music. 

Concerto Copenhagen presents music by "the Swedish Handel", music that changed Swedish music forever...

This concert tells a story we've heard many times before: a young, talented artist travels the world for inspiration, and when he encounters the wider world, his life and art are transformed. These 'formative journeys' were taken by countless artists in the 18th and 19th centuries. But this educational journey would prove to have major consequences, not only for the artist himself, but also for art and history as a whole. For this journey changed Swedish music forever.

The young Swedish violinist and composer Johan Helmich Roman traveled to London on a study trip in 1716. Roman came from the German-dominated music scene in Stockholm to a London where the dominant musical trend was Italian, manifested in the newly arrived G. F. Handel. Roman quickly became an active part of London's musical life. He played in Handel's orchestra at the Kings Theatre and met other musicians and composers from all over Europe - all coming to London to take part in the Italian music festival, but also bringing their own traditions and styles from home.

So when Roman returned to Stockholm in 1721, it was as a well-educated, modern-oriented 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 not only influenced "the father of Swedish music", as Roman is called today, but also changed the history of Swedish music.

This program presents the music that "Swedish Handel" Johan Helmich Roman encountered in London and the music he composed himself.