Poste Restante 4/10

About the Performance

Participants

Artist in residence for the season: Torleif Thedéen
Guests: Janine Jansen, violin, Daniel Blendulf, cello, Pauline van der Rest, violin, Noga Shaham, viola

Concert introduction: Conversation with the musicians at 15.20

Program

Franz Schubert (1797-1828): String Quintet in C major, D. 956
Jeffrey Ching (b. 1965): An die Musik (after Franz Schubert) for string quintet
Anton Arensky (1861-1906): String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, op. 35

Torleif Thedéen has invited world stars Janine Jansen and Daniel Blendulf, as well as Janine’s students Pauline van der Rest and Noga Shaham. They will perform music by Schubert, Ching and Arensky.

Celebrated work

One of the most celebrated chamber music works of all time is Schubert’s string quintet from 1828. With the unusual instrumentation of 2 violins, 2 cellos and 1 viola, it differs from the traditional one with two cellos instead of violas. This is why it is sometimes called the ‘cello quintet’. The string quartet by the Russian composer Arensky also has an instrumentation with two cellos, which gives the quartet a dark and deep sound reminiscent of Schubert’s string quintet. The Filipino-British composer Jeffrey Ching’s “An die Musik” (after Franz Schubert) for string quintet, which had its world premiere at the Kornberg Academy’s celebration of UNESCO’s 80th anniversary.

Violin star at Poste Restante

Janine Jansen ranks among the world’s top violinists. The Dutch musician grew up in a musical family and began playing at the age of 6. Jansen regularly performs with the world’s most prominent orchestras and conductors. During the 2025–2026 season, Jansen was Artist-in-Residence with the Berlin Philharmonic, and in 2026–2027 she will be with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra. Jansen is also curating a Beethoven festival at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam to mark the composer’s 200th anniversary in 2027.

The violinist plays a 1715 Shumsky-Rode Stradivarius, generously loaned by a European benefactor. Torleif Thedéen and Janine Jansen have collaborated regularly since 2003.

Janine Jansen is a PIRASTRO artist who plays Evah Pirazzi Neo strings.

He studied under Torleif

Daniel Blendulf started his career as a cellist, studying with Torleif Thedéen and others, and has toured concert halls around the world, including New York’s Carnegie Hall. Since 2005 he has had a dual career as both soloist and conductor and has performed with and conducted a large number of orchestras in Sweden and abroad.

Promising future

The concert will also feature Jansen’s students at the Kronberg Academy in Germany, violinist Pauline van der Rest and violist Noga Shaham. Both musicians have a promising future and have already won several international prizes and performed with orchestras and chamber music ensembles around the world.

Torleif Thedéen c/o Musik i Uppland

Swedish cellist Torleif Thedéen is one of the most prominent instrumentalists in the world, with an international career as a soloist, recording artist and educator. In a career spanning four decades, Torleif has performed with some of the world’s greatest musicians, orchestras and conductors and won first prize in several international cello competitions. Now he invites chamber music stars from Sweden and abroad to play with him in the 2026/2027 season of Poste Restante.

About Poste Restante

Poste Restante is organized by Musik i Uppland. The concert series has received a lot of attention and continues to be a stage where the absolute best chamber musicians meet. A complete experience with top-class music, conversation and mingling. Each season, a renowned ensemble or artist is invited as Artist-in-Residence with Music in Uppland as the address for a whole year.

Subscriptions

Buy a Poste Restante subscription with 6 concerts and a 10% discount at the interval bar.

The concert is supported by Friends of Musikens Hus