Johan Dalene (violin), Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds
BIS · BIS2620 · 73 minutes
Few pairings make as much sense as Nielsen and Sibelius together — both composers think in long, breathing arcs that demand a violinist who can hold a line without ever letting it feel labored. Johan Dalene does exactly that, shaping those sprawling melodies with a naturalness that feels almost conversational, like he’s thinking the phrase through in real time. Storgårds and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic bring an obvious home-ground fluency to the music, and the whole thing has a warmth that makes 73 minutes disappear fast.
Awards:
- Gramophone Magazine — April 2022 — Editor’s Choice
- Presto Recording of the Week — 1st April 2022
- Gramophone Awards — 2022 — Shortlisted – Concerto
- International Classical Music Awards — 2023 — Nominated – Concerto
“Dalene has a strong command of long evolving lines – crucial in both composers – but he balances that with a fine feeling for ‘speaking’ phrasing and articulation…The expression can certainly…”
— BBC Music Magazine, May 2022,5 out of 5 stars
Johan Dalene (violin), Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Blendulf
BIS · BIS2440 · 58 minutes
Pairing Tchaikovsky’s concerto with Barber’s feels like an inspired gut-check — both works demand a violinist who can project raw emotional heat without losing structural clarity, and Johan Dalene, still in his late teens at the time of this recording, delivers exactly that. There’s a freshness to his Barber in particular that’s genuinely rare, as if he’s hearing the music’s aching lyricism for the first time and bringing you along for the discovery. Blendulf and the Norrkoping Symphony are fully locked in with him, giving the whole 58 minutes a sense of shared momentum rather than soloist-plus-accompaniment.
Awards:
- Record Review — 25th January 2020
- Gramophone Magazine — February 2020 — Editor’s Choice
- BBC Music Magazine — March 2020 — Concerto Choice
- Diapason d’Or — April 2020 — Découverte
“Dalene’s freshness, vitality and interpretative charisma [in the Tchaikovsky] swept me along…If anything, the Barber is finer still, perhaps the closest anyone has yet come (at least on disc)…”
— BBC Music Magazine, March 2020,5 out of 5 stars
Nemanja Radulović (violin), Philharmonia Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Laure Favre-Kahn (piano), Johan Dalene (violin)
Warner Classics · 2685435544 · 86 minutes
Prokofiev wrote for the violin like he was daring it to keep up — all spiky rhythms, unexpected tenderness, and that sardonic wit lurking just beneath the surface. Radulović sounds completely at home in that world, bringing a daredevil energy that never tips into recklessness, with Rouvali and the Philharmonia giving him exactly the kind of alert, breathing support the concerto needs. At 86 minutes, the disc is genuinely generous, and having Johan Dalene and Laure Favre-Kahn along for the ride makes this a real Prokofiev event rather than just a solo showcase.
“There’s a daredevil freshness about Nemanja Radulović’s playing that makes this generously filled disc of Prokofiev particularly rewarding…The concerto receives a subtle, supportive reading…”
— The Guardian, 12th March 2026,4 out of 5 stars
Johan Dalene (violin), Peter Friis Johansson (piano)
BIS · BIS2770 · 67 minutes
Johan Dalene brings something genuinely exciting to Souvenirs — there’s a spontaneity in his playing that makes even the most familiar showpieces feel freshly discovered rather than polished to a museum sheen. At just over an hour, the programme moves with real personality, and Peter Friis Johansson is a proper partner here, never just accompanying but actively shaping the conversation. BBC Music Magazine calling it out for “unerring assurance and mastery” isn’t hype — you can hear exactly what they mean from the first phrase.
Awards:
- Gramophone Magazine — Awards Issue 2024 — Editor’s Choice
- BBC Music Magazine — December 2024 — Chamber Choice
“Here’s an archetypal recital programme which every emerging violin virtuoso would dream of recording, though few recent contenders have done so with such unerring assurance and mastery as Johan…”
— BBC Music Magazine, December 2024,5 out of 5 stars
Johan Dalene (soloist), Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Choir, Malin Broman, Gemma New, Kaspars Putniņš
BIS · BIS2610 · 69 minutes
Johan Dalene brings something almost reckless to the Mendelssohn — that lightning-quick approach BBC Music Magazine flagged isn’t just speed for its own sake, it captures the way Mendelssohn’s concerto thinks on its feet, darting and sparkling like it can’t quite contain itself. Paired with the Bruch, you get a real sense of contrast: where Mendelssohn fizzes, Bruch broods and sings, and Dalene navigates both worlds with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra sounding genuinely invested behind him. At 69 minutes, the programme is lean and purposeful, which suits the energy Dalene brings to every bar.
“Dalene has emerged as one of the most exciting young violinists of recent years, and this album of concerto standards is anything but ordinary. His Mendelssohn may be lightning-quick, but has…”
— BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2025,5 out of 5 stars
Johan Dalene (violin), Christian Ihle Hadland (piano)
BIS · BIS2730 · 68 minutes
Johan Dalene picked a genuinely interesting corner of the violin-piano repertoire here — the program leans into music that plays with light and texture, hence the evocative title Stained Glass, and you can hear both players treating that idea as a real interpretive framework rather than just pretty packaging. Dalene has a youthful energy that never tips into recklessness, and Hadland matches him beat for beat, which is rarer than it sounds — so many piano partners end up either dominating or just accompanying. At 68 minutes it’s a full, satisfying listen, and the way these two bounce musical ideas back and forth gives the whole thing a conversational warmth that pulls you in.
“Dalene and Hadland make an excellent duo – equal partners who bounce ideas off one another with oodles of vitality.”
— BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2023,4 out of 5 stars
Johan Dalene (violin), Eivind Ringstad, Alexandre Zanetta, Ariel Lanyi, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Howard Griffiths
Alpha · ALPHA1051 · 62 minutes
The Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat is one of Mozart’s most conversational pieces — violin and viola locked in this tender, almost argumentative dialogue that demands two players who genuinely listen to each other. Johan Dalene and Eivind Ringstad nail that dynamic, with Dalene’s tone staying luminous without tipping into prettiness and Ringstad bringing a real earthiness that keeps everything grounded. The pairing of the Rondos and the Horn Concerto rounds the disc out into something that feels like a full afternoon in Mozart’s world.
“[The soloists’] pedigree is indicative of the star quality they bring to the Concertante, Dalene’s tone radiant without being selfconsciously sweet, Ringstad’s rich and woody, each playing off…”
— Gramophone Magazine, August 2024
Sofie Asplund (soprano), Johan Dalene (violin), Peter Friis Johansson (piano), Daniel Migdal (violin), Albin Uusijärvi (viola), Amalie Stalheim (cello)
BIS · BIS2686 · 72 minutes
Swedish Romanticism has this particular bittersweet quality — lush on the surface, but with an undertow of Nordic melancholy that keeps it from ever feeling merely pretty. Sara Wennerberg-Reuter and Andreas Hallén don’t get nearly enough airtime outside Scandinavia, so having them alongside the better-known Stenhammar feels like a genuinely useful introduction rather than filler padding. Johan Dalene and Sofie Asplund are both artists at the top of their game right now, and that combination alone gives the whole programme a real sense of occasion.
“Hallén’s quartet is probably the only essential listen here, but the other byways of Swedish Romantic music won’t waste your time.”
— Gramophone Magazine, October 2025
