Sven-Eric Johanson

Sven Eric Emanuel Johanson (10 December 1919 - 29 September 1997) was a Swedish composer and organist.

Biography

Sven-Eric Johanson was born to Hjalmar and Beda Johanson in Västervik in 1919. The parents were both officers in the Salvation Army, but in 1926 Hjalmar became a pastor in Missionsförbundet instead. He began his formal music studies in 1938 at the Ingesund College of Music and was accepted to the Royal College of Music, Stockholm in 1939.

During his time as a student in Stockholm, Johanson studied composition with Melcher Melchers and organ with Otto Olsson and Alf Linder. In 1944 Johansson became the director of music at Uppsala Missionskyrka. In the 1940s Johanson studied Ernst Krenek's book on the twelve-tone technique and employed it in his 1949 Sinfonia ostinata.

In 1952 he became the organist at Hagens kapell (today Älvsborgs kyrka) in Gothenborg, a position he held until 1977.

He was a founding member of The Monday Group. In 1971 he became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.

He is buried on the Stampen cemetery in Gothenburg.

Works Johanson wrote twelve symphonies and several operas. He composed a number of concertos, some for unusual instruments like balalaika and nyckelharpa. He was a prolific composer of choir music.

He has written a hymn in the 1986 Swedish Hymnal, no. 214a, Lär mig att bedja av hjärtat.

Selected works

Works for orchestra and chamber ensemble Sinfonia ostinata, symphony no. 1, 1949/54 Sinfonia elegiaca, symphony no. 2B, 1654-1955 Symfoni no. 3, 1956 Konsert för balalajka och stråkorkester, 1961 Variationer över en värmländsk orrlåt, 1963 Elementsymfonin (Etemenanki), symphony no. 5, 1965–68 Concerto Gotenburghese, piano concerto, 1970 Konsert för nyckelharpa och stråkorkester, 1971 Sinfonietta pastorella, symphony no. 6, 1972 Spelmanssymfoni för stråkorkester, symphony no. 7, 1974 En Frödingsymfoni för solister, kör och orkester, symphony no. 8, 1983–84 Sinfonia d'estate, symphony no. 9, 1987 Symphonie Chez nous, symphony no. 10, 1990 Sinfonia d'autunno, symphony no. 11, 1991 Sinfonia da camera, symphony no. 12, 1992

Operas Petronella, "opera bluffa", 1942 Tjuvens pekfinger, opera buffa, 1966 Rivalerna, chamber opera, 1967 Sagan om ringen, opera, 1972, never performed Reliken, opera, 1975 Skandal, Ers majestät, opera, 1978 Dinize, opera, 1993-94, never performed

Choral works Psaltare och lyra (Snabbt jagar stormen våra år), (text Erik Axel Karlfeldt), 1953 Symfoni nr 2A (Duinoelegi nr 7, text Rainer Maria Rilke), 1954 Fyra visor om årstiderna; Sommar-ro (Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht), Hösten (Jacob Wallenberg), Vintervisa (Anna Maria Lenngren), Vårvisa (Olof von Dalin), 1957 Sånger i förvandlingens natt, symfoni nr 4 (text Östen Sjöstrand), 1958 Fancies (text Shakespeare) för blandad kör och piano, 1974

Selected recordings Title of Recording Recorded works by Johanson Performers Record label Release year Det brinner en eld - Burning BrightChoral worksRilkeensemblen, Gunnar Eriksson conductor Footprint Records 2010 Telling What is Told - Shakespeare SongsFancies The Norwegian Soloists' Choir Simax 2006 Tankarnas gröna trädDet är något bortom bergen Göteborgs Kammarkör, Harald Svensson piano, Gunnar Eriksson conductor Footprint Record 2003 Sven-Eric Johanson Fancies; Tvinnat Silke; Tio Epigram; Pianosonata No.2; Variationer över en Korsfararsång från 1100-talet; Sonata för Soloflöjt; Sinfonia da Camera - Symphony No.12 Skaraborg's Vocal Quartet, Lars Hägglund piano, Henrik Löwenmark piano, Wind Quartet Arion, Bo Nyberg flute, Western Sweden Music's Chamber Ensemble, Petter Sundkvist conductor Proprius 1995 Sven-Eric Johanson - Chez nous Symphony Chez Nous - Symphony No. 10; Trio For Clarinet, Cello And Piano; String Quartet No. 7 Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Petter Sundkvist conductor, Saga Quartet Phono Suecia 1994 Viska du vindGenesaret, Herde, Vit natt, Som sådden förnimmer Göteborgs Kammarkör, Gunnar Eriksson conductor Proprius 1994 Nalle Puh - Two Symphonic Tales Nalle Puh - en symfonisk saga Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Lars Benstorp conductor, Stefan Ljungqvist narrator BIS 1992 Henrik Cervin orgel, Gustavi Domkyrka Toccata Henrik Cervin organ Opus3 1983 Tubin: Balalaika Concerto Sonatina for balalaika and piano Nicolaus Zwetnow balalaika, Lucia Negro piano Caprice Records 1981 Johanson på skiva Choral works Göteborgs Kammarkör, Gunnar Eriksson Proprius 1973 Ung kyrkomusik Agnus dei Ungdomskör ur RKU och Sveriges Kyrkosångsförbund, Karl-Erik Welin organ, Torsten Nilsson conductor His Master's Voice 1969 Kattresan / Vad säger läseboken? Vad säger läseboken? Göteborgs Kammarkör, Gunnar Eriksson His Master's Voice 1968