Chamber Orchestra of Europe
e-news July 2010
Supported by the European Union Culture Programme and The Gatsby Charitable Foundation www.coeurope.org
SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS 25th Styriarte Festival with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Graz, Austria Ruhr Klavier Festival, Essen, Germany Tanglewood Festival, Boston, USA Mostly Mozart Festival, New York, USA
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH "COE is the orchestra I have the biggest admiration for. Each member is a unique musician and it feels like they all share wisdom, knowledge, good taste and a great instinct for music. I find it remarkable that in certain symphonies, which can often sound very heavy and grounded, COE, with its round and warm tone, brings its special, natural genius for music making to every work - this is so rare to find." Lisa Batiashvili, Violinist
OPENING THE 25TH STYRIARTE FESTIVAL WITH NIKOLAUS HARNONCOURT On 25th June, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe opened the 25th Styriarte Festival in Graz, Austria, with a performance of Smetana’s Ma Vlast (My Fatherland), conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. The orchestra has been in residence at the Styriarte Festival since 1987 and for the past 23 years the residency has been a highlight of the orchestra’s season most particularly because of the orchestra’s relationship with Nikolaus Harnoncourt who is, without doubt, one of the greatest interpreters of music of our time. The creative process from rehearsal to concert with Harnoncourt is always an intense and fascinating musical journey, an exploration that is inspiring, new and utterly revealing. COE spends most of the year on tour, and to have the chance to stay in Graz for an extended period in order to be able to work with Harnoncourt “at home” is also very special for the musicians. The concert on June 25th was hailed as “a triumph” by the Kleine Zeitung (26/06/2010) and was attended by the Austrian President, Herr Heinz Fischer, the Governor of Styria, Herr Franz Voves and the Mayor of Graz, Herr Siegfried Nagl. The concert was repeated on the 26th and 27th and all three nights were sold out. The Saturday night performance on June 26th was filmed and streamed live by ORF to a an outdoor screen located in the main square in the centre of Graz. During the 15-minute interval, ORF broadcast a short ‘making of’ documentary that included footage of the orchestra’s rehearsals with Harnoncourt in the Helmut-List Halle. On 4th July, the concert was broadcast by radio on the national channel ö1 and, on 18th July, a TV documentary about the first 25 years of the Styriarte was played both on ORF2 and on 3sat.