Two Anniversaries – A Unique Evening of Art and Music in Harmony

This year, two of Malmö’s key cultural institutions are celebrating major anniversaries: Malmö Symphony Orchestra turns 100, and Malmö Konsthall turns 50. The occasion is marked with a poetic pop-up concert, where MSO’s string musicians meet the visionary world of French-Swedish artist Lars Fredrikson – right among the artworks, in the heart of the gallery.

  
Music in Dialogue with Lars Fredrikson’s Art
During the concert, the audience is surrounded by Malmö Konsthall’s new exhibition featuring works by Lars Fredrikson (1926–1997) – a pioneer of sound and spatial art. His artistry challenges our perceptions of presence, perception, and the invisible within space. With works that capture frequencies and waves we cannot see, an unusual resonance emerges with the tonal world of the concert – here, the vibrations of music find a visual echo.

Fredrikson was a radio engineer, poetic inventor, and a master of sound art. In the exhibition, we encounter his multifaceted artistry: from collages and kinetic sculptures to sound works and collaborations with contemporary poets. It’s an artistic universe where movement, silence, and sound converge – just like in this concert.
  

Music and Art in Shared Motion 

Encountering music outside the traditional concert hall opens the senses. As MSO’s string musicians take their place among Fredrikson’s artworks, a conversation arises between two forms of expression – between tones and textures, oscillations and sculptures.

Britta Byström’s music shows a particular sensitivity to sound – a resonance that could be called impressionistic. A Walk by Heart is one of around 20 works with various versions of “walk.” Each walk is written as a journey toward the next piece in the program. They begin with a small, almost inaudible step and fade out – as if the music is passing by you. Especially characteristic is the pulse in these works, which Byström describes as tiptoeing steps. Mozart’s Divertimento begins in the same spirit, with a calm, walking Andante that then breaks into a more spirited Allegro di molto.

The concert concludes with Antonín Dvořák’s Serenade in E minor, one of his most frequently performed works, where the music flows gently, idyllically, and peacefully.

  
“It’s a challenge, but I want us to reach out and touch people. The orchestra has unforgettable experiences to offer – for all of Malmö!”
So says Martyn Brabbins, MSO’s incoming Chief Conductor. This event is one of several MSO pop-up concerts happening this spring – a meeting between two worlds, and between two anniversaries, both of which have shaped Malmö’s cultural life for half and a full century, respectively.

Participants
Musicians: String players from Malmö Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Peter Manning
Concertmaster: Marika Fältskog

Free Admission – Just Come!
The concert is open to all, no ticket required. Come as you are, right in the middle of your everyday – and let yourself be enveloped by the space between sound and image.