Conductor and arranger Hans Ek is one of the Scandinavian music scene’s unique characters. With an open mind and a belief in the power of music, he dares to break norms and travel his own road. And that is reflected in everything he has done during the 25 years in which he has been at the forefront of Swedish music.

 

At the cross-over of classical music, jazz, pop and folk, Hans Ek transforms the commonplace into something unexpected and exciting. For Ek, the essence is in the quality, power, scope, feeling and wealth of ideas in the music. He takes the listener to new musical realms and to as yet unheard sound dimensions, but always working from his own personal sound.

 

With his characteristic sound, he moves confidently through a musical universe where Stockhausen and Björk, or Ane Brun and Monteverdi converge. His influences also include strong profiles such as Stravinsky and Brian Eno.

 

Through his ability to give music a place in the now, regardless of its origin and genre, Hans Ek has created his own special place in Swedish music. This has led to a host of fruitful collaborations, including with Denmark's Efterklang, These New Puritans from the UK, Kroke frpm Poland, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and artists including Veronica Maggio, Salem al Fakir, Tommy Körberg, Michael Nyman and Ale Möller. And it’s there, in the interstices between different styles and genres, that Hans Ek finds a musical energy that takes music to new levels. One example is E.S.T. Symphony, where together with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and a number of prominent jazz soloists, he performed music by the Esbjörn Svensson Trio.

 

For several years, Hans Ek has been the musical director of the Polar Music Prize Awards ceremony where he has conducted the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, together with several of Sweden's leading artists, performing the prize winning music. These include First Aid Kit and music by Paul Simon, Robyn singing Björk and also artists such as Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Patti Smith, Barbara Hendricks, Ola Salo, Neneh Cherry, Stenhammarkvartetten and Laleh.

 

Time after time, Hans Ek has demonstrated his ability to nurture the potential of the orchestra, including in films such as "Let the Right One In" directed by Tomas Alfredsson, Susanne Bier's "In a Better World" and most recently in the Oscar-nominated Kon-Tiki.

 

With his Modern Fantazias ensemble, he consistently works with music that means a great deal to him. In the Trans Europe Express project, Hans took the work of legendary synth group Kraftwerk, adding carefully-balanced arrangements of tracks from David Bowie's famous Heroes and Low albums, music by Karlheinz Stockhausen and sounds from Brian Eno's groundbreaking Music for Airports.

 

In the American Dream, together with Modern Fantazias he took the listener on an odyssey through 20th century American music in all its forms. Dystopian marches, the Beach Boys, Elvis, avante gardism, motorways and Dolly Parton conjured up a surrealistic and unpredictable dream of America and all things American. But as always, Hans Ek's own personal sound permeates the interpretation.

 

 

www.hansek.se