Lars-Åke Franke-Blom

He made his composing debut 1975 with Suite for flutes and percussion instruments. In the same year Norrköping Symphony Orchestra performed his first orchestral work, Motions ("Rörelser") from 1973. He is active in Norrköping, where on several occasions he has collaborated with the local symphony orchestra.

A major orchestral work is the symphonic poem, Web of yearning ("Längtans väv") from 1984. It was awarded one of the first prizes in the International New Music Composers Competition 1989/90.

H is opera for children, The troll battle ("Trollslaget") from 1979 has been given more than 150 performances all over Sweden by the Folkoperan, Stockholm..

I n 1982 he was commissioned by the Swedish Television and the Swedish National Theatre to compose ballet-music for the Cramér Ballet Company in Stockholm., The well of the virgins ("Brudarnas källa"), which was presented both in a stage version and on TV 1983.
During 1989-96 he composed an opera about a Swedish boxer, Harry Persson, an opera commissioned by the Royal Opera in Stockholm.
The opera "HP" ("Harry Persson") was first performed in Norrköping, Sweden the 17th of Mars 2001 by the Royal Opera House in Stockholm and the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra and broadcasted in the Swedish radio the same year.
The opera was also performed in Stockholm Sweden.

1991 he got two commissions: one from the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the other from Norrköping Symphony Orchestra. That resulted in the Symphonies 2 and 3.

T he 28th of February 2004 his opera "A Mansion Tale" ("En herrgårdssägen") had it's first performance by the Värmlandsoperan in Karlstad, which had commissioned the opera.
The opera is based on a novel by the Swedish Nobel-prize winner Selma Lagerlöf. The libretto was written by Lasse Zilliacus.

Photo by Åke Bjurhamn
Lasse together with the former member of the board of Norrkoping´s Symphony Orchestra Olle Anderberg.

Since 2007 he is active as a pianist giving recitals together with the former director of "Östgötateatern" in Norrkoping, Göran Sarring, who reads poems and gives the background of the music.
Lars-Åke Franke-Blom's latest major compositions are a Piano concerto from 2007 and Symphony No. 4 -"The Pope", published in 2009.

Discography:
Endymion
Lable: Phono Suecia PSCD 054

Music for art (Konstmusik)
Lable: Norrköpings konstmuseum

Music for mobile
Lable: MAP

Baltic Bass
Lable: Nosag CD 113

And several radio recordings.