In the last days of 2025, Alan Gilbert turns to a beloved Mozart opera and a contemporary composer he has long championed with both his home opera company and his home orchestra.

With the Royal Swedish Opera, Gilbert conducts the company’s seasonal staging of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, sung in Swedish in eight performances beginning December 18 (additional performances Dec 20 & 26; Jan 6, 8, 15, 26, & 29).  Iconic Swedish director Ingmar Bergman’s famous filmed version of the opera has given it a special place in the hearts of his countrymen since it first aired on Swedish TV in 1975.

Now in his seventh season as Chief Conductor of Hamburg’s NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra (NDREO), Alan Gilbert can be heard on a growing series of recordings captured in the city’s already world-renowned venue, the Elbphilharmonie. December 19 brings the release of Tempus fugit by Finland’s Magnus Lindberg, one of the contemporary composers whom Gilbert has done most to champion. Captured at the 2021 Elbphilharmonie Visions biennial, an online festival at the height of the pandemic, this marks the newest addition to the conductor’s ongoing digital recording series with NDREO, available from OneGate Media on all major streaming platforms.