Max Bruch - Concerto no. 1, Op. 26 in G minor; Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending, version for violin and choir by Paul Drayton (Swedish Radio Choir)

Premiere album, released on November 7th, 2025

I would like to present this album recorded in Stockholm by the young violinist Johan Dalene, a talented musician of Swedish and Norwegian origin, 25 years old, who has already won major awards and is praised by international classical music publications. His recent disc, released on November 7th by BIS Records, includes famous Romantic works recorded together with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir, under the baton of conductors Malin Broman, Gemma New, and Kaspars Putniņš: the Concerto, Op. 64 by Felix Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto No. 1 by Max Bruch, and The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams, in the version for violin and choir-an arrangement made in 2019 by Paul Drayton.

Johan Dalene, winner of the prestigious Carl Nielsen Competition in 2019, maintains an intense concert activity on renowned stages and has released seven albums so far. In 2022 he received the "Young Artist of the Year" award from Gramophone magazine. He has also been artist-in-residence with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, and the Gävle Symphony Orchestra in Sweden. He has collaborated with musicians such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Gidon Kremer, Janine Jansen, and Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and plays a Stradivarius violin made in 1725. You can admire the wonderful sound of this instrument, beautifully highlighted by violinist Johan Dalene through an expressive, profound, and sensitive interpretation.