Per-Otto Johansson

Conductors

Swedish-born conductor Per-Otto Johansson is one of the most sought-after conductors in Scandinavia, and he is also increasingly well known in the rest of Europe. The press often mentions the concentration and focus, as well as the finesse of Johansson's performances. The Aachener Zeitung wrote: "[Johansson] remained true to his aesthetics in Sergei Rachmaninov's massively orchestrated Symphonic Dances. In the solos he motivated the musicians to perform at their best, and in the tutti the general sound remained in control even in the higher dynamic regions. This even applied to the brass explosions in the last movement."

Johansson has conducted more than fifty opera productions around the world and is known for his theatrical instinct and for achieving seamless communication between pit and stage. From 2007 to 2010 he has been music director of the Opera Vorpommern. In 2015, as part of celebrations marking 150 years since the birth of Carl Nielsen, he conducted the opera Maskarade at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen. Per-Otto Johansson has a good relationship with this opera house where he also conducted the Magic Flute, Il Barbiere di Siviglia and L'Elisir d'amore. In the Netherlands Per-Otto Johansson has been a regular guest since 2000 at Opera Zuid. He appeared with the South Netherlands Philharmonic at Opera op de Parade in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

Per-Otto Johansson conducted the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (the national orchestra of Sweden) a.o. during the Nobel Prize ceremony in 2007 and worked as well with the symphony orchestras of Malmö, Norrköping and Gävle in Sweden. He has conducted almost all orchestras in Denmark, like Copenhagen Philharmonic and Odense Symphony Orchestra. Johansson has a broad repertoire with special expertise in the French, Russian and Scandinavian masterpieces. He has conducted Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances and Ravel's Ma Mere l'Oye with the Aachen Symfoniker. In October 2019 he will conduct the Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra in Prokofiev's violin concert no. 2, with Liza Ferschtman as soloist, combined with Sibelius: Tuonela's Swan and the Karelia Suite.

July 2019 Per-Otto Johansson made his debut at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with the South Netherlands Philharmonic. In February 2020 he will make his debut with the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague. With the North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra Johansson has recently conducted the opening concert of the City-Proms music festival 2018 in Leeuwarden, the 2019 New Year’s opera concerts and the open air Summerconcert 2019 at the Lauswolt Estate.

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