Role

:

Conductor  

Country

:

Sweden

Birth

:

April 3, 1918 in Malmö, Sweden

Death

:

February 13, 2005 in New York City, NY

Genre

:

Opera

 

 

Symphony

 

 

Vocal

 

Sixten Ehrling was a Swedish conductor and composer who was born on May 3, 1918, in Malmö, Sweden. He was the son of a music teacher and grew up in a musical family. Ehrling began his musical studies at the age of six, learning to play the violin and piano. He later studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, where he focused on conducting. Ehrling made his conducting debut in 1942 with the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm. He quickly gained a reputation as a talented conductor and was appointed the principal conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra in 1947. He held this position for ten years and during this time, he also conducted the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. In 1957, Ehrling was appointed the music director of the Royal Swedish Opera, a position he held until 1960. During his tenure, he conducted many notable productions, including the Swedish premiere of Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck. He also conducted the premiere of Ingvar Lidholm's opera Ett drömspel (A Dream Play) in 1959. Ehrling's international career began in the 1950s when he conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. He also conducted the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 1960, he was appointed the principal conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 1963. One of Ehrling's most notable performances was his 1961 recording of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The recording was praised for its clarity and precision and is still considered one of the best recordings of the symphony. Ehrling was also a prolific composer and wrote several works for orchestra, including a symphony, a piano concerto, and a violin concerto. He also wrote chamber music and vocal works. In 1963, Ehrling was appointed the principal conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he held until 1974. During his tenure, he conducted many notable performances, including the Swedish premiere of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8. Ehrling was also a champion of contemporary music and conducted many premieres of works by Swedish composers, including Lars-Erik Larsson, Ingvar Lidholm, and Allan Pettersson. In 1974, Ehrling was appointed the music director of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 1977. During his tenure, he conducted many notable performances, including the American premiere of Allan Pettersson's Symphony No. 9. Ehrling retired from conducting in 1984 but continued to be active in the music world as a teacher and mentor. He was a professor of conducting at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and also taught at the Juilliard School in New York. Ehrling received many awards and honors throughout his career, including the Order of the Polar Star, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music's Litteris et Artibus medal, and the Swedish Society of Composers' Rosenberg Prize. Sixten Ehrling passed away on February 13, 2005, in Stockholm, Sweden. He was remembered as a talented conductor and composer who made significant contributions to the world of classical music.

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