"… Visible for anyone, this interesting Austrian conductor shows a precise and clear, always secure technique, also in Ravel's complex compositional structures. He illuminates it with light, elegant phrasing which resists any temptation of superficial orchestral coloring and he succeeds in illustrating the incredible modernity of this work...." This is how the "Giornale di Verona" judged Johannes Wildner's performance of Ravel's "Daphnis and Chloë" and herewith only joins into the many opinions who consider Johannes Wildner as one of the best conductors of his generation.

After positions as chief conductor of the State Philharmonic Orchestra of Košice (Slovakia, 1990-93) of the Prague State Opera (1994-95), and as First Permanent Conductor of the Leipzig Opera (1996-98), Johannes Wildner, former violinist of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and musicologist, was "Generalmusikdirektor“ of the New Philharmonic Orchestra of Westphalia from 1997-2007, an orchestra based in Recklinghausen (Germany) which also is the opera orchestra of the opera house in Gelsenkirchen.

As a guest conductor Johannes Wildner has conducted major orchestras all over the world such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Russian State Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra of the Arena di Verona, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra Copenhagen, the Odense Symphony, the BBC-Orchestra London, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan or the China Philharmonic or the recently founded Symphony Orchestra of India in Mumbai. In Germany and Austria he performed with orchestras like the Symphony Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio, the MDR-Symphony-Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic, the State Philharmonic of Rhineland-Palatinate, the Radio Symphony Orchestra and the State Orchestra of Saarbruecken, the Vienna Symphony, the Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, the Tonkuenstler Orchester Niederoesterreich, the Bruckner-Orchestra Linz, the Mozarteum-Orchestra Salzburg.

Johannes Wildner has recorded more than 60 CDs and videos and DVDs, including the integral version of “The Bat” and “Così fan tutte”, "Carmen", Bruckner’s 3rd (in all versions) and 9th symphony (with the reconstructed finale by Samale, Philips, Mazzuca and Cohrs) and a Super Audio CD (Audite) with organ works by Barber, Saint-Saëns, Zabel and R. Strauss, played by Christian Schmitt (organ) and the RSO Saarbruecken. In 2007 cpo released his recording of music by Erich Zeisl played by the RSO Vienna. This successful cooperation was continued also in 2007 with a recording of symphonic pieces of Josef Marx with the RSO Vienna and the cpo label. In September 2008, a recording of the 2nd and the 4th Symphony by Johann Nepomuk David will follow.

Johannes Wildner has always devoted an important part of his activity to opera. Great successes of recent years have been Peter Maxwell Davies' "The Martyr of St. Magnus" and John Tavener's "Mary of Egypt" in the Austrian Festival "Carinthian Summer", Verdi's "Il Trovatore" at the Opera house of Gelsenkirchen (Germany), Bizet's "Carmen" in the Arena di Verona, Johann Strauss' "The Bat" at the New National Theatre Tokyo, Mozart's "Don Giovanni" at the Croatian National Theatre Zagreb and Puccini's "Tosca" at the Czech State Theatre of Brno, "Haensel and Gretel" by Humperdinck at the Landestheater Salzburg, "Carmen" at the opera house of Zagreb, the first opera production of the Symphony Orchestra of India in Mumbai ("Madama Butterfly", as well as "Fidelio" at the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara in the framework of the "Festival de Mayo".

2007/08 concert invitations have taken Johannes Wildner to the Symphony Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra, the China Philharmonic and the Guangzhou Symphony, the RSO Saarbruecken and the Orchestra of the Arena di Verona.

Engagements in 2009 and 2010 include new productions of "Abduction from the Serail" at the Landestheater Salzburg and "Madama Butterfly" in Mexico, as well as in the symphonic field, concerts with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, RSO Vienna, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Het Gelders Orchestra (Arnheim, NL), Royal Danish Academy, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra and Zagreb Philharmonic, Guangzhou Symphony, China Philharmonic and the NSO of Taiwan.