''Stockholm Diary'' is a composition for

string orchestra A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first ...

by the Finnish composer

Esa-Pekka Salonen Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music di ...

. The work was commissioned by the

Stockholm Concert Hall The Stockholm Concert Hall ( sv, Stockholms konserthus) is the main hall for orchestral music in Stockholm, Sweden. With a design by Ivar Tengbom chosen in competition, inaugurated in 1926, the Hall is home to the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic ...

Foundation for the

Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra ( sv, Kungliga Filharmonikerna or , literal translations, "Royal Philharmonic" or "Royal Philharmonic Orchestra") is a Swedish orchestra based in Stockholm. Its principal venue is the Konserthuset. Hi ...

and the Stockholm Chamber Orchestra. It was first performed in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, October 27, 2004, by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under Salonen. Salonen, Esa-Pekka (2004)
Stockholm Diary: Program Note
Retrieved July 24, 2015.

Composition

''Stockholm Diary'' is composed in a single

movement Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

and has a duration of roughly 12 minutes. The music briefly quotes passages from Salonen's 2004 orchestral piece '' Wing on Wing'', written shortly before ''Stockholm Diary''.

Reception

Mark Swed Mark Swed (born ) is an American music critic who specializes in classical music. Since 1996 he has been the chief classical music critic of the ''Los Angeles Times'' where his writings have made him a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize ...

of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' called it "a boisterous, significant 13-minute score for string orchestra" and wrote, "The string textures are gorgeous, creamy as

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

but with enough hints of Sibelian reserve to avoid stickiness." Swed added, "Salonen's strange harmonies make the music immediately recognizable as his." Ivan Hewett of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' was more critical, however, remarking, "It was clearly a busy time for Salonen, but that’s about all I gleaned from this frenetically active piece." Erica Jeal of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' called the piece "a larger-scale conception of broad sweeps and teeming textures that unleashed the full orchestra sound, even if the ending, an abrupt petering-out, was unconvincing."

References

{{authority control Compositions by Esa-Pekka Salonen 2004 compositions Compositions for string orchestra Music commissioned by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra