Chamber Orchestra of Europe

JANUARY TOUR: BEETHOVEN CYCLE – BERNARD HAITINK

JANUARY TOUR: BEETHOVEN CYCLE – BERNARD HAITINK

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe was resident at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and at the Salle Pleyel in Paris between 10 and 20 January 2011 in order to rehearse and perform Beethoven Fidelio Overture and Symphonies Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 8 under the baton of Bernard Haitink. The second part of the Beethoven Cycle will take place in the same concert halls during February and March 2012.

To be able to perform a complete Beethoven Symphony cycle at the Concertgebouw with Bernard Haitink is a particular honour and privilege for the COE. It was overwhelming to hear the applause for Mr. Haitink when he arrived on the podium to conduct the concerts and it was clear that the Amsterdam audience hold him close to their hearts. We continue our Brahms Cycle with him at the Lucerne Easter and Summer Festivals this year.

All four concerts were sold out (Amsterdam 12 and 15 January, Paris 18 and 19 January) and were extremely well received. They were extensively discussed in the Dutch and French press and in particular by Christian Merlin from the eminent French national newspaper Le Figaro, who attended concerts in both Amsterdam and Paris, and who also interviewed Bernard Haitink and members from the COE for his article published on 19 January.

Frédéric Lodéon, a renowned radio presenter on France Inter and France Musique, also dedicated two entire programmes to the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, one on France Inter (Carrefour de Lodéon) on 17 January and another one on France Musique (Plaisir d’Amour) on 22 January.

Both concerts at the Salle Pleyel could be viewed ‘live’ online on the Cité de la musique’s website www.citedelamusiquelive.tv and are currently available to view on arte live web for the next month for free.

One striking headline from the Dutch press read “Haitink’s Beethoven, fresh and vital”.

SALZBURG MOZARTWOCHE: NEZET-SEGUIN - ANDERSZEWSKI

On 30 January, the COE performed the final concert of the 2011 Salzburg Mozartwoche with the French Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, with whom it has developed a very special relationship over recent years. They were joined by pianist Piotr Anderszewski for a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor K466. Other works in the programme were CPE Bach’s Symphony in D, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 K543. The concert took place at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, one of the world’s greatest halls for chamber orchestra and chamber music. The COE was the first orchestra to be resident at the Salzburg Mozartwoche, as outlined by the newspaper Der Standard in their ‘Spezial’ section about the Festival. For DrehPunkt Kultur, during the piano concerto, Piotr Anderszewski’s dialogue with the Orchestra was particularly ‘elegant’ through a subtle adjustment of the dynamics. The Salzburger Nachrichten described the performance as a ‘spectacular power-concert’, and were very impressed by the Orchestra’s “rapid transitions and changes of mood, a bright unusual slow movement, an uplifting minuet, and then an explosive, stirring finale: the Orchestra seemed to rise above it all, and the applause also reached record levels.” (Salzburger Nachrichten, 01/02/2011).

COE ACADEMY IN AMSTERDAM

21-year old Berlin-based bassoonist Lydia Pantzier joined the Orchestra in Amsterdam as a COE Academist. She said: “For me, the Academy was an excellent experience and I’m so glad I’ve had the chance to be with the COE in Amsterdam for 5 days, listening to their concerts, sitting within this amazing orchestra, performing wind octets with them, listening to the rehearsals and watching Haitink work with them, getting to know many of these interesting and fabulous players and having lessons (once three hours in a row!) every day with Matthew [Wilkie, COE’s principal bassoon]. I learnt so much—the Orchestra has such an amazing sound and it is incredible how the winds completely blend their tones together and create a new sound, and yet if they have a solo phrase, it is so clear and musical! And of course, the lessons with Matthew were fantastic, I really got a lot from them. Matthew was very generous with his time, teaching me before and after rehearsals, or even just before the concerts.”

Lydia started studying music at the age of 5 in Leipzig and the bassoon at age 13. She has been studying at the Universität der Künste Berlin since October 2009 with Prof. Eckart Hübner. In 2010, she became a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra.

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