Biography

After his musical education, including studies at the Malmö Conservatory and the Royal Conservatory in Copenhagen, Göran Söllscher embarked on an international career by winning the first prize at the 1978 Concours Internationale de Guitare in Paris.

Mr. Söllscher has toured throughout Europe, North and South America, China and Japan, giving recitals as well as performing as soloist with numerous orchestras. He performs regularly with all major Scandinavian orchestras, and has played with the Japan Philharmonic in Tokyo, Camerata Bern, English Chamber Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, and Chamber Orchestra of Europe under such conductors as Claudio Abbado, Rafael Fr¸hbeck de Burgos, Alexander Gibson, Sixten Ehrling, Woldemar Nelsson, and Esa-Pekka Salonen.

In October 1991, Göran Söllscher was honored with an invitation to participate in the International Homage to Joaquin Rodrigo, celebrating the composer's 90th birthday, first in Madrid, and later in Puerto Rico.

In June 1996, he was invited for a major tour in Japan that included appearances as a recitalist, as well as duo performances with violinist Gil Shaham and Japanese flutist Shigenori Kudo. In Spring 1998, he returned for another concert tour of Japan. Other recent appearances include solo recitals in the United States, England, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey. In addition to his appearances with orchestras and recitals, he makes frequent appearances on radio and television.

Mr. Söllscher's repertoire is exceptionally wide, ranging from Renaissance music to well known standard concertos for guitar and orchestra, to contemporary music often written especially for him.

As a Deutsche Grammophon recording artist, Mr. Söllscher has, thus far, made eleven solo recordings including the complete lute works of J.S. Bach. In 1990, Deutsche Grammophon released his recording of three major works for guitar and orchestra-Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez and Concierto para un Gentilhombre, and Villa Lobos' Guitar Concerto. More than 100,000 copies of this recording have been sold world-wide.

His recording with violinist Gil Shaham, Paganini for Two, was listed among the ten best selling classical albums in the United States (May 1994, Billboard Magazine). In 1995, a recording was released, featuring the music of the Beatles arranged for solo guitar, and the following year, a recording featuring the works of Astor Piazzolla, in collaboration with French flutist Patrick Gallois was released. A recording of works by contemporary Scandinavian composers has been released on the Caprice label.

Mr. Söllscher currently holds Sweden's sole guitar professorship at the Royal Conservatory in Stockholm.

Discography (Deutsche Grammophon)