Next month, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Ryan Bancroft, performs the world premiere of Seen from Above (Concerto for Orchestra) by Britta Byström, commissioned by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. The premiere will take place on 14 October 2026, with a repeat performance on 15 October 2026 at the Stockholm Concert Hall.
The short stanza ”It’s gratifying that I can always wake up before dying” from Wisława Szymborska’s poem In Praise of Dreams led Byström into the composition of Seen from Above. Apart from using Szymborska’s poetry as a springboard for a form based on free association, Byström also incorporates elements from Per Nørgård’s infinity series – a series consisting of two notes used to create infinite patterns.
In her programme note, Britta Byström writes:
A ‘concert for orchestra’ is a concert in which the orchestra is the soloist. In this work, this becomes evident in that the music is based on polyphonic patterns rather than on timbre. Many little voices – often in different types of canon – join together to create a musical mosaic. Hence the title of the work: Seen From Above refers to taking a step back, as it were, and viewing the orchestra from a distance – as when one wishes to make out the motif in a pointillist painting.
Britta Byström, one of the most frequently performed Nordic composers, began as a trumpet player but was soon drawn to composition and the sound of the orchestra, thanks to her local professional orchestra in Sweden. Seen from Above is the latest addition to her extensive catalogue, which comprises several operas – one of her most recent, Eatnama Váibmu (Jordens Hjärta), has been performed several times by the Royal Swedish Orchestra – as well as concerts, orchestra works, chamber works, works for choir, and solo works.
Details
14 October 2026
Britta Byström: Seen from Above (Concerto for Orchestra)
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
Ryan Bancroft, conductor
The Stockholm Concert Hall, Sweden
15 October 2026
Britta Byström: Seen from Above (Concerto for Orchestra)
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
Ryan Bancroft, conductor
The Stockholm Concert Hall, Sweden
