Spanish violinist María Dueñas and Semyon Bychkov, chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, performed at the 2025 Nobel Prize Concert on 8 December. Together with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, they performed music by Bryce Dessner, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and Antonín Dvořák.
Spanish violinist María Dueñas is still in the beginning of her career, but has quickly established herself as one of the brightest shining stars in the classical music field, including cooperations with conductors such as Manfred Honeck, Herbert Blomstedt, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Gustavo Dudamel.
“To perform in Stockholm for the Nobel Prize laureates is a profound honour,” says María Dueñas. “Standing before those who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of knowledge, I am reminded that music, like the Nobel vision, seeks to transcend boundaries, unveil the unseen, and unite us in our common humanity. I am deeply grateful to contribute my voice to this moment of shared inspiration.”
Multiple award-winning and internationally renowned Semyon Bychkov is the chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic. Bychkov was born in the Soviet Union and is now an American citizen, emigrating to the United States in his 20s. Bychkov has worked with the world’s leading orchestras and opera houses, and was previously music director of Orchestre de Paris, chief conductor of the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne and of the Dresden Semperoper.
The concert programme included the much-loved Ninth Symphony From the New World, written by the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák during his time as a professor of composition in the US.
The opening work Mari by the American composer Bryce Dessner took shape during solitary walks in the French countryside in the pandemic years – a musical meditation on the transience of life. Dessner has dedicated the piece to Semyon Bychkov and even incorporated a melody from Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony.
María Dueñas performed Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Violin Concerto in E minor, composed for his childhood friend and violin virtuoso Ferdinand David.
Programme:
Bryce Dessner – Mari
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy – Violin Concerto in E minor
Antonín Dvořák – Ninth Symphony From the New World
© Nobel Prize Outreach.
In Sweden you can watch the concert on SVT Play. https://www.svtplay.se/nobelkonserten
