News

The album Infinite Bach  available now!

The album Infinite Bach is now available at the English label Rubicon. It is a recording of my four recompositions of Bach's four violin concertos, earlier named "ReBach".
The album was recorded in January 2020 and features violin soloist Christian Svarfvar, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the composer at the harpsichord and keyboard.
The album was released in December of 2021 and soon climbed to the second place of the classical list of Apple Music. At the time writing this, the album was streamed over 850.000 times.

More information here!

Here is a teaser with some interviews:

Zucco - a serial killer opera

The 19th October, 2016, Johan Ullén's opera Zucco will be premiered at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, at the "Rotundan" scene.

The piece, commissioned by the Royal Opera, is based on two scenes from the play Roberto Zucco by Bernard-Marie Koltès. The play is based on the real events concerning the serial killer Roberto Succo, that was hunted by the police in France, Italy and Switzerland.

The Royal Opera introduces the piece like this:
"The young Roberto escapes prison where he was imprisoned after murdering his father. He visits his mother and later meets a young girl who falls madly in love with him. Who will be his next victim?"

The opera is composed for four singers and 16 instruments.

The two scenes are to be considered as a teaser, a pilot, if you will, for a full length opera on Roberto Zucco.
 


The Deadly Sins as Piano Concerto

The proficient and versatile string orchestra Musica Vitae, are commissioning a Piano Concerto version of The Deadly Sins.

The solo part will be performed by one of Sweden's finest pianists, Terés Löf. The Swedish Acadamy member, poet and playwright Kristina Lugn, will perform the texts that she wrote for the Swedish Television show in 2013, that was featuring The Deadly Sins by Johan Ullén.

This version will be premiered the 26 February 2016, in Växjö Concert Hall, and then played on a tour, ending at Palladium in Malmö.
 

Great reviews for the Deadly Sins

Trio Nova was celebrated by Per A F Åberg in Uppsala Nya Tidning:

"The three marvelous musicians got standing ovations for their incomparable display and the present composer was acclaimed as well, for a piece that already has become a classic."

The Deadly Sins televised

The 30th November 2013, the national Swedish Television broadcasted a show where the entirety of Johan Ullén's “The Deadly Sins”, Seven Tangos for Piano Trio, was performed by Trio Nova.

They were joined by Swedish Academy member Kristina Lugn, who read her new texts inspired by the mortal sins. There was also dancers, spectacular light effects, smoke machines...

The program can be watched on SVT Play until the 30th December 2013 (available to the whole world.)