Breaking: European Union kills its youth orchestra

May 12, 2016 by norman lebrecht
press statement:

The European Union Youth Orchestra, now in its 40th anniversary year, is to cease operations from 1 September, 2016 due to the lack of funding from the European Union.
For 38 years, between 1976 and 2013, the EUYO was supported by the EU as a Cultural Ambassador for the EU.
Since 2014 a change in the EU’s cultural funding policy meant that the Orchestra was no longer funded by the EU, as funding was no longer given to any cultural organisation, but was only available for projects under the EU’s new Creative Europe programme. Representation was made at the time that this method of funding could not sustain the Orchestra, and that the proposed funding method was inappropriate. With no other option, the Orchestra applied to Creative Europe, and from 2014-15 the Orchestra received funding under the new Programme.
The EUYO was however informed three weeks ago that its Creative Europe partnership is no longer to be in receipt of any funding from the EU. Since that time the Orchestra has been in regular contact with the EU to attempt to find alternative funding from the EU. However, the funding routes so far suggested by the EU do not allow the Orchestra to plan any form of secure future.
Considering the high visibility of many agreed performances this summer – such as the Grafenegg European Music Campus, the Slovak EU Presidency concert, the Wrocław European City of Culture concert, the Alpbach European Forum opening concert and the launch of a major 40th anniversary 3 year tour to all the 28 Capital cities of the EU’S member states – the Trustees of the Orchestra have come to the conclusion that it would be harmful to the long term interests of the Orchestra, and of the EU, for the summer 2016 tour to be cancelled. They have therefore decided to take responsibility for the forthcoming tour, and together with the EUYO’s Residency Partners, to find the monies required to permit this year’s tour to proceed.
The Summer 2016 tour is therefore assured. Details of this tour are attached. Thereafter, without funding from the EU, the EUYO has no alternative but to cease operations.

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Androulla Vassiliou recommends report on Culture in External Relations

Press release

Brussels, 10 June 2014

EU cultural diplomacy needs new impetus, says report

The European Union and its Member States stand to gain a great deal by using the 'soft power' of cultural diplomacy, with benefits for the economy through increased market access for European cultural and creative industries, strengthened cultural diversity and the wider sharing of European values. This is the conclusion of a report published today by the European Commission following an initiative by the European Parliament.

"Cultural diplomacy gives us an opportunity to share our European culture and values such as human rights, diversity and equality with other countries," said Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth. "It is also good for jobs and growth. I urge the future Commission and European Parliament to implement the report's recommendations."

The recommendations on how to increase the impact of Europe's cultural diplomacy include:

Better co-ordination and dedicated staff such as cultural attaches in EU Delegations;

New methods of funding and fundraising, including co-funding and public-private partnerships;

Pooling resources of cultural organisations and Member States, especially via their cultural institutes and attaches abroad;

Removing barriers to mobility, for example by facilitating visa requirements for cultural operators;

Connecting with young people, for example by expanding educational and cultural exchange programmes;

Focusing on cities and towns to identify key partners;

Facilitating exchange of experience and best practices between artists from different countries, cultural managers, journalists or writers;

Empowering local cultural stakeholders by facilitating cooperation with cultural organisations and/or foundations;

Improving monitoring and evaluation of projects and cultural diplomacy policies.

Next steps

The report and its recommendations will be discussed with representatives of the Member States and European Parliament. In the immediate future, such discussions will take place at a senior officials' meeting on 17 June under the Greek Presidency and will continue under the Italian Presidency. A meeting with MEPs will take place on 25 June.

Background

The report is based on research in the 28 EU Member States and the following partner countries:

10 strategic partners: Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and the United States of America.

16 Neighbouring countries: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine;

For more information ...

Androulla Vassiliou - "Music in Europe : DIALOG"

European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth,
interviewed by Benedikt Weingartner (Music in Europe).

"Creative Europe" boost for cultural sectors

European culture, cinema, television, music, literature, performing arts, heritage and related areas will benefit from increased support under the European Commission's new Creative Europe programme, which was approved by the European Parliament on 19 November 2013. With a budget of €1.46 billion over the next seven years – 9% more than current levels – the programme will provide a boost for the cultural and creative sectors, which are a major source of jobs and growth. Creative Europe will provide funding for at least 250.000 artists and cultural professionals, 2.000 cinemas, 800 films and 4.500 book translations. It will also launch a new financial guarantee facility enabling small cultural and creative businesses to access up to €750 million in bank loans.

"This investment is great news for Europe's film industry, for culture and the arts, and for the public. Creative Europe will enable our dynamic cultural sectors to create new jobs and contribute more to the EU economy. It will enable thousands of talented artists to reach new audiences in Europe and beyond, while also promoting cultural and linguistic diversity. In addition to providing considerable levels of grant support, our guarantee facility will boost access to finance for hundreds of small companies."

Androulla Vassiliou
European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth

Source: Musik In Europe

Culture is the cement that binds Europe together

"Culture is, and always has been, the cement that binds Europe together. It is an essential part of the very foundations of our European project and must remain firmly entrenched in our ideals if we are to succeed in achieving a more united, a stronger and open Europe.
Culture is also a tool of diplomacy. It is about connecting with people all over the world. It is about universal values and inspirations. Indeed Europe's global influence also lies in our cultural openness to other societies, our openness to the world. (...)
Creative sectors play indeed a crucial role for the sustainable development and social cohesion of our regions and cities. Culture is a driver for urban and regional regeneration. (...)
Our aim is to help artists, cultural professionals and cultural organisations so that they can work across borders and ensure that their works reach as many people as possible. Creative Europe will also contribute to improving access to finance through the creation of a new loan guarantee facility.
Indeed spending on culture is not a luxury but a sound investment and not only for the distant future. Culture is not a "nice to have", but a "need to have". If Europe is to emerge stronger from these difficult times, we need more than ever to stimulate a new model of growth, underpinned by knowledge and creativity, research and innovation as its key drivers. Cutting spending in such key areas would be exactly the wrong thing to do. This would be the shortest way to lower growth and fewer jobs in the future. (...)
We need all the representatives of the arts and culture, because culture is the thread that links us together in our diversity and which allows us to take ownership of our shared European destiny."

José Manuel Barroso
President of the European Commission

(Speech at the opening of the European Culture Forum, Brussels, 4 November 2013)

Source: Musik In Europe

ENCATC 20th Annual Conference "Networked Culture"

London United Kingdom

Keynote Speakers

European Commission proposes countries to host

European Capitals of Culture after 2019

The European Commission adopted its proposal for the continuation of the European Capitals of Culture initiative and transmitted it to the European Parliament and the Council for the ordinary legislative procedure.

Why a new proposal now?
The current legal base for the European Capitals of Culture (ECoC) - Decision 1622/2006/EC - includes a chronological list of Member States indicating the order in which they are entitled to host the event until 2019. However, the competition for the title is launched six years in advance in order to give the cities sufficient time for their preparation before the beginning of the year of the title. The selection for the 2018 ECoC in Malta and in the Netherlands is thus already well underway. Therefore, in order to ensure a smooth transition in 2020, the Commission's proposal for the continuation of the ECoC after 2019 needs to be adopted by the Parliament and the Council in 2013.
How was the proposal prepared?
The work on the new proposal has been based on a broad range of inputs. These include the conclusions of the 25 year anniversary conference of the ECoC held in March 2010, four independent evaluations of past Capitals, an independent evaluation of the current selection and monitoring procedures, an on-line consultation, a public consultation meeting and DG EAC's own experience of coordinating the initiative since 1999.
These various evaluations and consultations have clearly shown that the ECoC can bring many benefits to cities when they are planned with consideration. They remain first and foremost a cultural event, but they can also have significant social and economic impacts, particularly when the event is embedded as part of a long-term culture led development strategy in the city. It should also be noted that although only one city in each MS can host the event in any given year, the competition has an important leverage effect on the development of new or more effective policies and strategies even in cities which do not win the title.
The ECoC are also highly challenging. Staging a year long programme of cultural activities is demanding and some Capitals have been more successful than others in capitalising on the potential of the title. Therefore, the action would need to be reinforced in the future in order to help all cities to make the most of the title.
What are the main changes compared to the current scheme?
The new proposal retains the main features and general structure of the current scheme. It suggests in particular continuing to award the title on the basis of a rotating system among Member States. This option proved to be the only one which ensured an equal opportunity for each Member State to host the title and a geographical balance in the location of the ECoC across the EU.
At the same time, a number of improvements are proposed in order to optimise the potential leverage effect of the initiative: the criteria were made more explicit in order to give more guidance to the candidate cities and more measurable in order to help the panel of experts in the selection and monitoring of cities, the accompanying measures which support the cities during the preparation period have been strengthened, and the conditionality of the money prize awarded to each Capital was reinforced in order to ensure cities keep to their commitments. It is also proposed to open the action again to the participation of candidate and potential candidate countries after 2019, as was the case until 2010.

Grand Prix winners of EU Prize for Cultural Heritage

Europa Nostra Awards announced

...  in the presence of Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, and Plácido Domingo, the world-renowned tenor and President of Europa Nostra. The ceremony was attended by an audience of 1200 people including Aníbal Cavaco Silva, President of Portugal, and Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias.

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Brussels/The Hague 20 March 2012 - The winners of the 2012 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards are announced today by the European Commission and Europa Nostra (see list below). The awards will be presented on 1 June during a ceremony at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon in the presence of Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, and Plácido Domingo, the world-renowned tenor and President of Europa Nostra. The event is taking place under the patronage of Aníbal Cavaco Silva, President of Portugal, who will also be present, and José Manuel Barroso, President of the Commission. Of the 28 winning projects, six will be named as 'grand prix' laureates as 2012’s most outstanding heritage achievements. "Europe's cultural heritage is unique in the world. The European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage highlights excellence in conservation, research, education, training and awareness raising, as well as dedicated service by individuals and groups. I would like to warmly congratulate this year's winners for reminding us of our wonderfully rich and varied heritage that we should never take for granted. It is in our trust for future generations," said Commissioner Vassiliou.
"I am very pleased that the European Commission is once again Europa Nostra's partner in celebrating outstanding work in the field of cultural heritage. I also wish to congratulate the Commission for having confirmed its commitment to supporting our shared objectives through the proposed 'Creative Europe' programme. European funding is vital: it boosts creativity and innovation, which helps us to bring our past alive and to safeguard our treasures for the future," added Europa Nostra’s President, Plácido Domingo. More ...

Plácido Domingo meets Androulla Vassiliou for the European Heritage

The President of Europa Nostra and world-renowned tenor Plácido Domingo meets Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth. They co-hosted the European Heritage Awards Ceremony at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam where the winners of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award were celebrated on 10 June 2011

BEPA seminar on "Protecting the sacred places of the Mediterranean
A contribution to intercultural dialogue" with the participation of Androulla Vassiliou

On 6 March 2012, a BEPA seminar took place in Brussels. On this occasion, Androulla Vassiliou, Member of the EC in charge of Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, and Jean-Pierre Mazery, Grand Chancellor and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, gave a speech about the protection of the sacred places of the Mediterranean and the contribution of them to the intercultural dialogue.

European Culture Forum - Flagey, Brussels

On 20 and 21 October, the European Culture Forum will bring to Brussels 800 participants from culture civil society, the EU Member States and EU institutions.

Stakeholders from diverse areas of the cultural sector gathered together to exchange their thoughts on the most pressing issues facing culture today, including digitisation, skills for culture in a globalised world, regional investment in culture, role of culture and the EU's external relations in democratic processes.
Policy-makers and experts from a range of cultural fields were invited to speak, and participants were able to make their views heard in the Q&A sessions. In addition, the smaller, more intimate information sessions allowed participants with an interest in specific topics to ask detailed questions on issues such as the European Creative Industries Alliance and the future Creative Europe programme, to name just a few.
The debates successfully showcased the diversity of the cultural sector and what it has to offer to society, especially in the current economic climate; many voiced the urgent need for culture to be placed at the heart of the political agenda.
As quoted from one of the Forum's speakers:
The forum is wonderful initiative that brings everyone round a table and (hopefully) helps design a better common policy. It is also a very good experience for cultural entrepreneurs to hear what other actors (be it in other cultural sectors or policy makers and/or public servants) have to say, to measure our differences and open common goals and to find out what solutions have been put in place by others or what problems they are encountering. 
Michel Lambot, Co-President, PIAS Entertainment Group; Co-President, IMPALA (Independent Music Companies Association).
In the evening of 20th, participants were invited to a spectacular concert of Mozart, Ravel and Rossini performed by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, in celebration of the Orchestra's 30th anniversary.
This key event, organised by the European Commission every two years, plays an important role in promoting cooperation within the cultural sector, as it offers stakeholders a unique opportunity to meet and form new ties and partnerships.
I believe that what is at stake with the second information revolution is nothing less than the possibility of the emergence of a new European cultural identity – an identity rooted in the richness of our diversity and yet confidently open to the rest of the world. An identity fit for a new century and a changing world. This is not work that politicians can do alone. This is why culture matters, and why this Forum matters. 
Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, European Commission

Watch this space for additional updates on the forum!

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From 8 to 15 May, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, conductor Semyon Bychkov, violinist Lisa Batiashvili and cellist Johannes Moser (in Perugia only) performed four concerts in Ferrara, Perugia, Reggio Emilia and Paris. The programme included Strauss’s Metamorphosen, Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 (replaced with Schumann’s Cello Concerto in Perugia) and Mozart’s Symphony No. 41.
The concerts were enthusiastically received by the critics and the public. In the Giornale dell’Umbria, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe was described as a formation of excellence which, throughout the years, has retained its original youthfulness and freshness (12/05/2013). In particular, the interpretation of Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony in Perugia was qualified as “fluid, soft and light”, an impression enhanced by Semyon Bychkov’s conducting technique: without a baton, solely with his hands, “literally caressing the orchestra and the music” (12/05/2013). According to La Nuova Ferrara, the Orchestra’s interpretation of Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen reflected the composer’s wish to convey, in the piece, the pain he felt when Dresden was bombed by the Allies in 1945: “the conductor obtained perfection”, “crying is evoked with poignant tragedy in the music performed by Semyon Bychkov and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe” (13/05/2013).

Culture goes digital

1000 gathered at Brussels largest forum on the future of creative industries

Pho­to: Maria Koleva

Cor­al­ia Gal­tier kind­ly invites to the Cham­ber Orches­tra of Europe con­cert in Fla­gey.

Art­ists and cul­tur­al pro­fes­sion­als from Europe, near­ly 1,000 peo­ple gath­ered at the Euro­pe­an Cul­ture Forum in Brus­sels' Espace Fla­gey to dis­cuss on the chal­len­ges and oppor­tu­ni­ties fac­ing this indus­try. Undoubt­ed­ly, dig­i­ti­sa­tion gives both. Many are­as of cul­ture must adjust to reach clos­er to a new audi­ence, accord­ing to the pan­el­lists. Par­tic­i­pants were greet­ed by Androu­lla Vas­si­liou, Euro­pe­an Com­mis­sion­er for Edu­ca­tion, Cul­ture, Mul­ti­lin­gual­ism and Youth and Bog­dan Zdro­jew­ski, Pol­ish Min­is­ter of Cul­ture and Nation­al Her­it­age.

Nobody should under­es­ti­mate the impor­tance of the cul­tur­al and cre­a­tive indus­tries, stat­ed in her wel­come address Com­mis­sion­er Vas­si­liou. They are a pow­er­ful motor for jobs, wealth pro­duc­tion, export earn­ings, ter­ri­to­ri­al devel­op­ment, qual­i­ty of life and social inclu­sion. It is an argu­ment I have repeat­ed­ly made and I am pleased that more and more peo­ple are now aware of the poten­tial of this sec­tor, she point­ed out. And when it comes to exports of cre­a­tive-indus­ try pro­ducts, let me remind you that when tak­en as a bloc it is by far Europe - not the Unit­ed States, not Chi­na - that is the clear lead­er in the mar­ket of world exports, the Com­mis­sion­er add­ed.

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Participation of Androulla Vassiliou, to Europa Nostra Awards ceremony

On 3 October 2011, Androulla Vassiliou, Member of the EC in charge of Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, participated in a ceremony that took place at the Villa Empain, in Brussels, along with Sneška Quadvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra, and Charles Picqué, Minister-President of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region responsible for Local Authorities, Regional Development, Monuments and Sites, Public Hygiene, Development Cooperation and Regional Statistics, to celebrate the recent 2011 EU Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards. On this occasion, a plaque commemorating the award was placed on the building. The prize was awarded to the Boghossian Foundation for their restoration of the 1935 house, which is one of the finest examples of art-deco architecture in Europe. As well as being completely restored, the building hosts a centre for art and dialogue between the cultures of East and West. The EU Prizes for Cultural Heritage were announced in Amsterdam on 10 June.

Chamber Orchestra of Europe

Acknowledged as one of the finest orchestras in the world, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe was founded in 1981 by a group of young musicians graduating from the European Union Youth Orchestra. It was their ambition to continue working together at the highest possible professional level, and of that original group, eighteen remain in the current core membership of about sixty. The members of the COE, selected by the Orchestra itself, pursue parallel careers as international soloists, Leaders and Principals of nationally-based orchestras, as members of eminent chamber groups, and as tutors and professors of music.
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe provides an excellent illustration of how Europeans can come together artistically to create a strong European ethos. It is the players’ wealth of cultural backgrounds and shared love of music-making which remain at the heart of their inspired performances.
The COE performs in some of the most prominent cultural venues in Europe including the Cité de la musique and the Salle Pleyel in Paris, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, the Cologne Philharmonie and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Together with other major European concert halls, these venues form the backbone of the Orchestra’s European Partnership Scheme and provide a regular touring base for the Orchestra. The COE has a close association with the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon and with many of the most prestigious musical festivals in Europe and abroad, particularly the Styriarte Festival in Graz, the Lucerne Festivals, the Proms and Edinburgh Festival, as well as the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York.
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe works with some of the world’s most renowned soloists and conductors including, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Emanuel Ax, Lisa Batiashvili, Joshua Bell, Douglas Boyd, Semyon Bychkov, James Conlon, Ivan Fischer, Julia Fischer, Hélène Grimaud, Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Thomas Hengelbrock, Daniel Hope, Janine Jansen, Vladimir Jurowski, Leonidas Kavakos, Sakari Oramo, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Maria Joao Pires and Mitsuko Uchida.
The Orchestra receives widespread and enthusiastic press coverage and was recently acclaimed as “the best chamber orchestra in the world” (Daily Telegraph).
Renowned not only for its remarkable live performances, the COE is recognised for the quality of its many recordings, and has won numerous international recording prizes. It is especially proud of its three Gramophone “Record of the Year” awards - for Rossini’s Viaggio à Reims opera and Schubert’s Symphony cycle conducted by Claudio Abbado, and for the complete Beethoven symphony cycle conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. It has also won a Grammy, and the MIDEM “Classical Download” Award. Further downloads include Thomas Adès’ Violin Concerto conducted by the composer with Anthony Marwood, and Mozart’s Piano Concertos performed by Pierre-Laurent Aimard. At the 2009 Styriarte Festival in Graz, Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducted the COE in five unforgettable performances of Porgy & Bess, and the CD set of this production was then released to great critical acclaim. Other CD releases include Vivaldi, Bach and Mendelssohn’s violin concertos (nominated for another Grammy award) with Daniel Hope, Marieke Blankestijn and Lorenza Borrani, and Haydn’s Creation, Symphony No. 96 and The Seasons conducted by Sir Roger Norrington, as well as Stravinsky’s Apollon Musagète and Pulcinella Suite under the direction of violinist Alexander Janiczek. Other DVD recordings include Mozart’s The Magic Flute directed by Kenneth Branagh, Schubert’s Alfonso & Estrella recorded live at the Vienna Festival conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Latest DVD releases in 2010 are the Ravel Piano Concerto in G, R. Strauss’ Metamorphosen and Bourgeois Gentilhomme Suite conducted by Vladimir Jurowski with Hélène Grimaud, Sibelius’ Rakastava, Valse Triste and Violin Concerto and Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy with ukrainian violinist Valeriy Sokolov.
To enable young people and new audiences to experience at first hand high quality live orchestra and chamber music, the COE has an active education and outreach programme designed for school, conservatoire and concert hall. In 2009 The COE Academy was created to cater for exceptionally talented students. Scholarships are awarded each year enabling a select group to study with the principal players of the COE when the Orchestra is ‘on tour’.
In 2007, the COE was appointed “Cultural Ambassador” for the European Union and as a result now benefits from invaluable EU support. Over recent years the Orchestra has also received significant financial support from The Gatsby Charitable Foundation. Source: Chamber Orchestra of Europe

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Styriarte 2013: Great success for Bluebeard!

Following its performances of Mozart’s Don Giovanni earlier this year in Dijon, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe was
invited by the Styriarte Festival to perform Offenbach’s opéra-bouffe Bluebeard (Barbe-Bleue), reflecting this year's
festival theme of "Dangerous Liaisons". Directed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt's son, Philipp, Bluebeard was sung in French
with German dialogue.
The production was reviewed with unanimous enthusiasm, not least by the Kurier  (23/06/2013), which described it as
"lively, witty and incisive". Bluebeard is essentially an opera of social satire, exploring greed, misuse of power, political
incompetence and obsequiousness. In this production, Bluebeard (sung by tenor Johannes Chum) was portrayed as a
ruthless Che Guevara while the mezzo-soprano Elisabeth Kulman (Boulotte) is transformed into an upstart shepherdess,
the wit and hunour of her role being emphasised by interposing Styrian dialect.
The Orchestra’s performance was highly praised by many critics: “the fabulous Chamber Orchestra of Europe” (Kleine
Zeitung, 23/06/2013), “the splendid Chamber Orchestra of Europe” (Kurier, 23/06/2013), “The precision of the
ensemble – the Chamber Orchestra of Europe – is exemplary.” (Die Presse, 23/03/2013), “the formidable Chamber
Orchestra of Europe” (Der Standard, 23/06/2013), “it is pure delight to hear the fabulous Chamber Orchestra of Europe
perform with such liveliness, lightness and delicacy, producing such a beautiful and precise body of sound, as well as rich,
sometimes extreme, nuances.” (Opernnetz, 23/06/2013), “the outstanding ensemble” (Wiener Zeitung, 26/06/2013), “the
ravishing performance of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe” (Kronen Zeitung, 24/06/2013). According to the Salzburger
Nachrichten (24/06/2013), the Orchestra’s performance was “a real firework of light rhythms and melodies” and “the
Orchestra justifiably received a storm of applause: indeed, under Harnoncourt’s baton, it recaptured the meaning of the
concept of “light” muse which the XIXth century operette once boasted, and which then became distorted by the
sentimentalists.”
The performance given on 22 June was broadcast on the radio station ORF 1 on 6 July and will be broadcast across
Europe this summer. For more information on future broadcasts, please visit the broadcast calendar on the COE website.
The Styriarte and ORF also organised free public screenings of Bluebeard throughout Austria on the Festival’s opening
night on 22 June (an initiative called “Klangwolke”, or “Soundcloud”) . Tens of thousands of people in over 20 public
locations were able to watch the opera on large screens in several Austrian cities, including Graz’s Landhaushof.

Styriarte 2013: “perfect” Tchaikovsky and “sparkling” Mozart*

On 23 June, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe’s string section, directed by the Orchestra’s leader Lorenza Borrani,
performed an all-Tchaikovsky programme including “Souvenir de Florence” and the String Serenade in C major, op. 48.
The concert received particularly enthusiastic applause from the audience and the Orchestra played the second movement
(Valse) again as an encore. According to the Kronen Zeitung (25/06/2013), the evening was “grandiose: the way that the
COE strings, led by Lorenza Borrani, tackled the Serenade op. 48 was unmatched – they produced a unique and
luminous sound, leading to a blissful and dynamically perfectly calculated flight into strings’ Heaven.”
On 29 June and 1 July, the COE and pianists Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Tamara Stefanovich and Nenad Lecic performed a
rarely-heard all-Mozart programme including Mozart’s challenging Concerto for three pianos, as well as his Concerto for
two pianos. Again under the direction of Lorenza Borrani, the Orchestra’s ability to “take into account the phrasing and
articulation of all three soloists” and the “captivating sweetness” of the Adagio were “absolutely remarkable” (Kleine
Zeitung, 30/06/2013). Between both concertos, COE soloists Kai Frömbgen (oboe), Matthew Wilkie (bassoon), Steve
Stirling (horn) and Romain Guyot (clarinet) performed Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with “sparkling musicianship”
(Kleine Zeitung, 30/06/2013).
(*resp. Kronen Zeitung 25/06/2013 and Kleine Zeitung 30/06/2013)

CD Release: Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte with Yannick Nézet-Séguin

On 2 August, Deutsche Grammophon will release the CD of Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte recorded by the Chamber
Orchestra of Europe last summer with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Rolando Villazon, Mojca Erdmann, Miah Persson, Angela
Brower, Adam Platchetka and Alessandro Corbelli at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. The performances were
enthusiastically received by the press: the Orchestra’s strings were referred to as “silky and shimmering” and the wind
section as “splendidly harmonious, providing ideal musical conditions” for this recording project (Badische Zeitung,
13/07/2012). According to the Pforzheimer Zeitung, the Orchestra delivered a “sparkling performance”, making this
concert “more alive and exciting than many staged versions” (13/07/2012). This CD is the second recording of DG’s new
Mozart Opera cycle. Rolando Villazón will take on the lead tenor roles throughout the series and, together with Yannick
Nézet-Séguin, acts as joint artistic consultant for the entire project. The next recording project in Baden-Baden has now
been announced and will feature the Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin in Mozart’s Entführung aus dem Serail in July
2014. In November 2012, they also completed a Schumann symphony cycle, which will be released by Deutsche
Grammophon in late 2014. The collaboration between Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the COE and DG is planned to continue in
future seasons with performances and recordings of Mozart operas and a Mendelssohn symphony cycle.

Edinburgh International Festival with Yannick Nézet-Séguin

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe will perform two concerts at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival with Yannick
Nézet-Séguin and COE soloists Lorenza Borrani (violin), Pascal Siffert (viola), William Conway (cello) Kai Frömbgen
(oboe), Romain Guyot (clarinet) and Matthew Wilkie (bassoon). On the 16th of August, the programme includes
Strauss’s Metamorphosen, Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante for violin, cello, oboe and bassoon and Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’
Symphony No. 3, while on the 18th of August, the COE will perform Strauss’s Duet Concertino for clarinet and bassoon,
Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Both concerts will be broadcast
nationwide on BBC Radio 3 at a later date. The COE’s first performance at the Edinburgh Festival dates back to 1983
with Alexander Schneider and since then the Orchestra has been a regular guest at the Festival with artists including

Claudio Abbado, Thomas Adès, Paavo Berglund and András Schiff.

Source: The Chamber Orchestra of Europe

 

Tour to Italy and France with Semyon Bychkov, Lisa Batiashvili and Johannes Moser

From 8 to 15 May, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, conductor Semyon Bychkov, violinist Lisa Batiashvili and cellist Johannes Moser (in Perugia only) performed four concerts in Ferrara, Perugia, Reggio Emilia and Paris. The programme included Strauss’s Metamorphosen, Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 (replaced with Schumann’s Cello Concerto in Perugia) and Mozart’s Symphony No. 41.
The concerts were enthusiastically received by the critics and the public. In the Giornale dell’Umbria, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe was described as a formation of excellence which, throughout the years, has retained its original youthfulness and freshness (12/05/2013). In particular, the interpretation of Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony in Perugia was qualified as “fluid, soft and light”, an impression enhanced by Semyon Bychkov’s conducting technique: without a baton, solely with his hands, “literally caressing the orchestra and the music” (12/05/2013). According to La Nuova Ferrara, the Orchestra’s interpretation of Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen reflected the composer’s wish to convey, in the piece, the pain he felt when Dresden was bombed by the Allies in 1945: “the conductor obtained perfection”, “crying is evoked with poignant tragedy in the music performed by Semyon Bychkov and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe” (13/05/2013).

Brahms in June with Bernard Haitink

 

 

 

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe performed Brahms’s four symphonies with Bernard Haitink at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, on 4 and 6 June. The players were delighted to work with Bernard Haitink again, as indicated by some of their heartfelt comments:
“Started the day with Brahms 4 coming from the silence, ended it with the brass winding up Brahms 2 to a powerful conclusion. Another fab day” (Julian Poore, trumpet, Twitter); “There are moments in Brahms' symphonies that are so sublime it almost hurts... I'm overwhelmed by the brilliance I am surrounded by this week.” (Nicholas Eastop, trombone, Facebook).
Prior to the performances, Bernard Haitink was interviewed by two major regional newspapers, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Frankfurter Rundschau. Both journalists expressed some curiosity about why the conductor had chosen this particular chamber ensemble as opposed to a symphony orchestra to perform Brahms’s symphonies. Bernard Haitink clarified firstly that the Chamber Orchestra of Europe was not a conventional chamber orchestra but that its size was between that of a chamber ensemble and a symphony orchestra, pointing out that the COE could “produce a gigantic sound” when needed; he explained that, since his first Beethoven project with the Orchestra in 2008, he had been fascinated by the transparency and the general volume of sound that the COE could achieve; and finally, he revealed that Brahms had actually not intended for his symphonies to be performed by a large orchestra: the Chamber Orchestra of Europe has actually as many players as the Hofkapelle in Meiningen, with whom Brahms premiered his fourth symphony. Maestro Haitink said: “With this outstanding orchestra, it becomes easy to restore the transparency of Brahms.” (Frankfurter Rundschau, 04/06/2013).
Following the first of the two concerts, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung praised the “outstanding quality of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe”, the delicacy and transparency of the musical expression in both symphonies and the cleverness of interpretation in the complex first phrase of Symphony No. 1 (06/06/2013). According to the Frankfurter Neue Presse, the musicians fully deserved the audience’s “enthusiastic applause” for their “terrific performance”. In particular, the journalists stressed the importance of Bernard Haitink’s humility towards music, resulting in an unpretentious interpretation of Symphony No. 1. In Symphony No. 3, the Orchestra’s playing was qualified as “light and gently flowing”, with “fine colours in the wind section” (06/06/2013).

The Magic Flute: US release and screenings on 9 and 11 June

Looking back to the end of 2005, as part of the 350th anniversary celebration of Mozart’s birthday, film director and actor Kenneth Branagh announced his plan to shoot a film of Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute specifically intended for movie theatres. The film is set during the First World War and the English libretto and dialogues were adapted to this more recent period by Stephen Fry. The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, with conductor James Conlon, was called upon to perform the soundtrack of the film, which was presented at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2006.
Until now, as no Region 1 or region-free DVD had been produced, the film had never been released or shown in American cinemas or on US television. The release of the film for theatres and home entertainment by distributor Revolver Entertainment on 9 June was therefore eagerly anticipated on the other side of the Pond. Screenings in about 150 Emerging Pictures cinemas took place on 9 and 11 June throughout the US. The DVD and VOD were also released in the US on 11 June. To hear an interview with Kenneth Branagh about the film on New York’s Classical Music Radio WQXR, please click here.

Styriarte 2013: Offenbach’s Barbe-Bleue with Nikolaus Harnoncourt

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe has been invited to perform the opera-bouffe Barbe-Bleue by Offenbach at this year’s Styriarte Festival in Graz, Austria. The Orchestra has taken part in this festival every year since 1987 and has a very strong relationship with its founders, Nikolaus and Alice Harnoncourt, both Honorary Members of the COE alongside Bernard Haitink and Andras Schiff. The Styriarte, in partnership with ORF (the national Austrian broadcasting company) has produced a number of CDs and DVDs featuring the Chamber Orchestra of Europe with Nikolaus Harnoncourt: Beethoven! (2007), Smetana’s Ma Vlast (2010), Smetana’s Die Verkaufte Braut (2011) - all released to great acclaim.
Every year, the Styriarte has a different theme and, in 2013, the focus is on “Dangerous Liaisons” (Gefahrliche Liebschaften), which is all about times in which more libertine trends appeared in the world of music, much to either the joy or the fierce objection of the general public. Within this theme, Paris plays a central role. The city of love has never had the reputation of being very chaste, not today, nor in the times of the creator of the French opera-bouffe, Jacques Offenbach. In the Second French Empire, Offenbach, who had emigrated from Cologne, reflected this aspect of the French capital especially bitingly in Barbe-Bleue. This opera-bouffe in three acts tells the story of Knight Bluebeard, a notorious womaniser in a French folktale written by Charles Perrault in 1697, as part of the famous “Contes de Ma Mere L’Oye” (“Mother Goose Tales”). Premiered in Paris at the Theatre des Bouffes Parisiens (a venue managed by Offenbach himself) on 5 February 1866, the successful production was then swiftly taken abroad to major European cities (London, Vienna, Brussels, Stockholm, Berlin, Budapest, Milan, Copenhagen), the USA (New York) and Australia (Sydney). This will be the Chamber Orchestra of Europe’s second encounter with Jacques Offenbach at the Styriarte, where it performed La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein in 2003.

The premiere of Barbe-Bleue on 22 June will be broadcast live by the Austrian TV channel ORF III.

Styriarte 2013: concerts with Lorenza Borrani and Pierre-Laurent Aimard

 

 

 

On 23 June, Lorenza Borrani and soloists from the Chamber Orchestra of Europe will perform Tchaikovsky’s string sextet “Souvenir de Florence” and serenade for string orchestra in C major. The concert will also include some of Tchaikovsky’s romances for baritone and piano.

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Pierre-Laurent Aimard and two fellow pianists, Tamara Stefanovich and Nenad Lecic, will perform an all-Mozart programme in Graz’s Stefaniensaal, including the composer’s Concerto for three pianos, Sinfonia Concertante for oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon (featuring COE soloists Kai Frombgen, Romain Guyot, Steve Stirling and Matthew Wilkie) and Concerto for two pianos. Mozart’s concertos for two and three pianos are meant to sound like a courting scene, with the soloists flirting with each other and the orchestra. The Mozart-Pur concerts will take place on 29 June and 1 July at 8pm.

Source: Chamber Orchestra of Europe

Festival de Pâques, Aix-en-Provence

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Semyon Bychkov and pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque were invited by Renaud Capuçon to take part in the very first Easter Festival in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. The COE’s concert, on 2 April, featured Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 in B minor, Poulenc’s Concerto in D minor for two pianos and Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 in C major.
For the local paper La Provence, it was a real treat to welcome the Chamber Orchestra of Europe at the Grand Théâtre as it so seldomly performs in the area. The COE’s interpretation of both symphonies was “a jewel”, “ample, round and precise”, “musical velvet with relief and a beautiful tone” (04/04/2013). La Provence also praised the Orchestra’s ability to adapt perfectly to the soloists’ musical approach to Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos.
Radio Classique broadcast the concert live throughout France and this also formed part of the Aix-en-Provence “concert on the balcony” initiative, whereby the general public, together with a number of shops and cultural institutions in the city, was invited to take part in a “flashmob” by broadcasting the concert on their radios, in private and/or public spaces, and to share the experience with their families, neighbours, clients and customers. The idea was that the entire city would resonate with the COE concert being performed inside the Grand Théâtre. On the night, all the loudspeakers on the Cours Mirabeau (the main avenue in Aix-en-Provence) played the COE concert.
To view exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the COE’s rehearsals at the Grand Théâtre with Semyon Bychkov and the Labèque sisters, please click here.

Tour to Italy and France with Semyon Bychkov, Lisa Batiashvili and Johannes Moser

From 8 to 15 May, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe will be joined by conductor Semyon Bychkov, violinist Lisa Batishvili and cellist Johannes Moser (in Perugia only) to perform four concerts at the Teatro Comunale (Ferrara, 11 May), Teatro Morlacchi (Perugia, 12 May), Teatro Romolo Valli (Reggio Emilia, 13 May) and the Cité de la musique (Paris, 14 May). The programme includes Strauss’s Metamorphosen, Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 (replaced with Schumann’s Cello Concerto on 12 May only) and Mozart’s Symphony No. 41.
The Cité de la musique is currently running a competition, linked to our concert, with ten CDs of the COE (Mozart, Vivaldi, J. Strauss, Marcello, Wolf, conducted by Alexander Schneider) to be won. Should you wish to take part, please send your details to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The Cité will then send you an email to let you know whether you have won a CD.
Metamorphosen is a piece for 23 solo strings composed by Richard Strauss in the closing months of the Second World War, between August 1944 and March 1945. Although the composer never explained his intentions, it is believed that he wrote the work in the context of Germany’s mourning after the War and in particular the devastating bombing of Munich which destroyed landmarks such as the Munich Opera House. Near the very end of the piece, several bars of the funeral march theme from Beethoven's Eroica Symphony are quoted explicitly in the bass part, accompanied by the words "In Memoriam!" in the score. The COE previously recorded this work with Heinz Holliger in 1993 and again in 2009 at the Cité de la musique with Vladimir Jurowski in a DVD released by Idéale Audience, also including Strauss’s Bourgeois Gentilhomme and Ravel’s Piano Concerto performed by Hélène Grimaud.