Dear music lovers!

Photo: © Helen Pé

Båstad Chamber Music Festival forms one of Sweden's most important chamber music stages. We bring you the well-known classics while at the same time inviting you to take in the new, the hitherto unknown. In only six intense days we present 22 concerts of an almost implausible range - from twelfth century compositions all the way to first performances of today's music, fresh from the sheet! In Båstad you will also find a will to widen the offer of performers - established box-office names along with those less known, but all on absolute top level of artistry.

This year we honour the incredibly creative Joseph Haydn, who passed away 200 years ago. Come and listen to his legendary music, and get closer acquainted with him when Professor Jan Ling takes us to the 1790-ies and to "Papa Haydn's" England!

The other main theme this year is Female composers through the ages. But gender differences - do they exist in music? Well, music life was always marked by politics and by shifting ideals. It is an inescapable fact that many interesting and talented women never got the opportunity to develop their art. And despite today's societal emancipation, in music differences can still be noted. How can we explain that, still, more men than women become composers? Is "female music" different? Why are women more often interpreters rather than creators of music? These are some of the questions that will be illuminated during the festival. Twentythree female composers will be presented, among them Karin Rehnqvist who is our Composer Profile of the Year. A woman who chose the 'different' road, and who can serve as model for the young generation.

Beside these themes the festival will be packed with all that other music commingling to form colourful concerts.

Welcome to an intense festival of fabulous, demanding, pleasing, interesting and enriching music!

Karin Dornbusch
Clarinettist, Artistic Director