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Niklas Willén - Conductor

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Discography

The North German Philharmonic, conducted by its chief conductor and General Music Director, Niklas Willén, played Mozart’s score [The Marriage of Figaro] in a fresh and stylish way that was also gallant and always well phrased. It was good to hear the music’s pulsating middle voices, the cantilena quality in the woodwind and an exquisite agility from the strings. From the beginning of the overture the orchestra played with amazing eagerness and a beautifully developed sound.
Michael Baumgartl / Norddeutsche Neueste Nachrichten, 12 April 2010

Niklas Willén, the finest Swedish conductor of his generation, is Chief Conductor of the WDR Radio Orchestra Köln. He has previously held positions as General Music Director of the Volkstheater Rostock and Chief Conductor of the North German Philharmonic Rostock, Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Chief Conductor of the Sønderjyllands Symphony Orchestra in Denmark and Chief Conductor of the Sundsvall Chamber Orchestra. He was born in Stockholm in 1961 where he studied conducting and composition at the city’s Royal College of Music where his conducting teachers included Jorma Panula. Recent engagements have seen Niklas Willén tour in Europe with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and make debuts with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Philharmonic Orchestra of the National University of Mexico (with an immediate re-invitation) whilst returning to major orchestras like the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Royal Flanders Philharmonic and Ulster Orchestra. In a busy schedule he returns to the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra this season.

Niklas Willén’s career is increasingly focussed in Germany, throughout Scandinavia and the Nordic countries with several of the principal orchestras of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland and the major Swedish opera houses conducting the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and Iceland Symphony Orchestra with forays beyond that have seen him conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Flanders, Brabants Orkest and Noordhollands Philharmonisch Orkest in the Netherlands, the Nordwestdeutsch Philharmonie in Germany as well as the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and Ulster Orchestra as well as having spectacular successes conducting the Swedish Radio Choir. An unwavering list of fine concert reviews include from his debut with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra in May ’11 “... he dazzled in Nielsen’s Symphony No. 3 ... with such deep conviction, freedom and joy it was as though it could have been at least Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7” (Ruch Muzyczny) and range elsewhere from Germany “Willén accentuated his great art and his intense musical interpretation of the Helios Overture and even more with Sibelius’s second.” (Wolfburger Allgemeine Zeitung) to Sweden with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra “Beethoven's 7th Symphony was in a class of its own ...” (Dagens Nyheter) and the UK “Totally enthralling under Willén’s baton, the tales of Scheherazade in Rimsky-Korsakov’s much-loved work were conveyed with intuitive musicianship ...” (Bournemouth Echo). He has also conducted opera at Göteborgs Operan, the Royal Theatre in Stockholm and Norwegian National Opera in Oslo in productions of “Il Barbière de Siviglia”, “Flying Dutchman”, “Madama Butterfly”, “Turandot” plus première’s of several new works that have included Peter Bengtson’s opera “The Maidens” and productions for Stockholm’s “Folkoperan” and Värmlandsoperan in Karlstad.

Niklas Willén has strong, distinct affiliations to repertoire of the classical, romantic and contemporary eras and he has conducted many recordings with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Royal Opera in Stockholm, Göteborgs Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Opera, Sønderjyllands Symphony Orchestra (Prokoviev’s complete Piano Concertos; “Willén is a superbly sympathetic partner, coaxing mischief from the orchestra to match Marshev at his cheekiest“, “Stunning and superb” and in Nielsen; “Willén's Nielsen is very adroitly paced …… Willén’s is a great performance …… a classic Helios Overture), Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Sundsvall Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland (Volume 2 of Naxos’ complete orchestral music by Alfvén: "Listen as Niklas Willén teases the skittish polka (No. 6) from Alfvén's 'The Prodigal Son' ballet suite, or steers his players through the vehement fugue that rounds out his Symphony No. 2, and you'll appreciate why this release commands unreserved praise.”).

July 2011

Discography

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