Camerata Nordica is a Swedish
chamber orchestra
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numbe ...
. Affiliated with the regional Kalmar Läns Musikstiftelse, the ensemble is administratively based in
Oskarshamn, and gives concerts in various cities and venues in Sweden. Founded in 1974 in
Kalmar, the orchestra has formerly been known as the Oskarshamn Ensemble, Camerata Roman (after
Johan Helmich Roman
Johan Helmich Roman (26 October 1694 – 20 November 1758) was a Swedish Baroque composer. He has been called "the father of Swedish music" or "the Swedish George Frideric Handel, Handel." He was the leader of Swedish Opera through most of Swedish ...
), and Camerata Sweden. Since 2018, Camerata Nordica's orchestra director and artistic director has been
Zéphyrin Rey-Bellet.
The orchestra is unusual in that it plays in camerata form, without a conductor and standing in a tight formation, which provides energy and interaction. The orchestra consists of permanent employees and freelance musicians. The musicians are handpicked from ensembles and orchestras all over the world, often winners of international competitions. Some of the leaders with whom the orchestra has played are
Norbert Brainin
Norbert Brainin, OBE (12 March 1923 in Vienna – 10 April 2005 in London) was the first violinist of the Amadeus Quartet, one of the world's most highly regarded string quartets.
Because of Brainin's Jewish origin, he was driven out of Vie ...
,
Levon Chilingirian
Levon Chilingirian OBE (Լևոն Չիլինկիրեան born 28 May 1948) is a UK-based violinist of Armenian origin. The founder of the Chilingirian Quartet, he is also a professor and Chamber Music Artist in Residence at the Royal Academy of ...
,
Philippe Graffin
Philippe Graffin (born 1964 in Romilly-sur-Seine) is a French violinist
The following lists of violinists are available:
* List of classical violinists, notable violinists from the baroque era onwards
* List of contemporary classical violinis ...
,
Giovanni Guzzo
Giovanni Guzzo (born 1986 in Porlamar, Margarita Island, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan violinist.
Born in Venezuela to parents of Italian and Venezuelan heritage, he started the violin at the age of six under the teachings of Emil Friedman and L ...
,
Frans Helmerson Frans Helmerson (born 1945) is a Swedish cellist, pedagogue, and conductor.
Biography
Helmerson was born in 1945 and by the age of 8 began playing cello. Later on, he studied with Guido Vecchi in Götheborg, Giuseppe Selmi in Rome, and with William ...
,
Barnabás Kelemen
Introduction
Barnabás Kelemen has established himself as one of the leading and most versatile artist of his generation.
An artist of “innate musicality” with a technical execution that belongs “only to the greatest” (The Guardian)
...
, ,
Pekka Kuusisto,
Josef Suk,
Terje Tønnesen
Terje Tønnesen (born 27 February 1955 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian classical violinist. His first marriage, from 1979 to 1986, was to the pianist Reidun Askeland (born 1957). In 1986 he married the actress Hilde Grythe (born 18 July 1955), ...
,
Ulf Wallin
Ulf Wallin is a Swedish classical violinist and professor at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.
Life
Born in Växjö, Wallin studied at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm and at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst ...
, and
Antje Weithaas
Antje Weithaas (born 1966) is a German classical violinist. Apart from solo recitals and chamber music performances, she has played with leading orchestras in Europe, Asia and the United States.
Career
Born in Guben, Weithaas studied at the H ...
.
The orchestra has recorded around 15 discs under its own name, including music by
Anders Eliasson
Anders Erik Birger Eliasson (3 April 1947 – 20 May 2013) was a Sweden, Swedish composer.
Life
Eliasson was born in Borlänge. His "earliest musical experiences originated from within myself: they were my own singing, and familiar tunes I h ...
and
Beethoven's late string quartets, arranged for string orchestra. Pianist
Per Tengstrand
Per Tengstrand (born 1968, Växjö, Sweden) is a Swedish pianist.
Biography
Tengstrand started to play the piano at age 6, being taught by his mother. He entered the Malmö Academy of Music at age 16, in the class of Hans Pålsson. In 1985, he w ...
is a soloist with the orchestra on three discs of Mozart's piano concertos. Camerata Nordica has regularly toured abroad, including to England, Poland, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and the USA, which were visited during eight tours.
The orchestra has recorded commercially for such labels as
BIS and Caprice Records, for which for example they have recorded CDs of works by
Britten and Anders Eliasson. Including recordings issued under its previous names, one source suggets that Camerata Nordica has produced some 22 recordings;
Camerata Nordica Formed 1974, Oskarshamn, Kalmar län, Sweden (Discography)
''rateyourmusic.com'', accessed 25 June 2021 the Orchestra's website says 'Nearly 30'.
References
External links
*
BIS Records page on Camerata Nordica
Facebook, "Save Camerata Nordica", 12 September 2017
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Musical groups established in 1974
Swedish orchestras
Chamber orchestras