The 2025 Nobel Prize Concert took place on 8 December at Konserthuset Stockholm, featuring María Dueñas as soloist and Semyon Bychkov leading the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. The programme paired Bryce Dessner, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, and Antonín Dvořák, with the performance set to be made available on 11 December on the Nobel Prize YouTube channel.
Dueñas, who in recent seasons has appeared with major orchestras under conductors such as Manfred Honeck, Herbert Blomstedt, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Gustavo Dudamel, performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor. Speaking to the Nobel Foundation, she described the invitation to play for the laureates as “a profound honour”, noting the symbolic connection between artistic creation and scientific pursuit.
Bychkov, chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, directed the evening. In addition to a long-standing international career in both symphonic and operatic repertoire, he maintains a close relationship with contemporary composers — a link reflected in the inclusion of Mari, written for him by Bryce Dessner. Composed during the pandemic, the piece incorporates a melodic reference to Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony.
The programme closed with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World, composed during the Czech composer’s period in the United States while serving as director of the National Conservatory of Music of America.
The full concert will be available for streaming on 11 December on the Nobel Prize YouTube channel: Nobel Prize – YouTube
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