Chamber Orchestra of Europe

Chamber Orchestra of Europe

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe is supported by the European Union Culture Programme.

Acknowledged as one of the finest orchestras in the world, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (COE) 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, 18 remain in the current core membership of 50. It is the players' wealth of cultural backgrounds and shared love of music-making which remain at the heart of their inspired performances. Representing fifteen nationalities living in twelve European countries, the COE mainly performs in continental Europe, regularly visits the USA and occasionally tours in the Far East. From the beginning, the Orchestra has appeared with the world's leading conductors and soloists. As well as being Leaders and Principals of other major orchestras, the players themselves also pursue parallel careers as international soloists, members of celebrated chamber groups, and as tutors and professors of music. The COE's philosophy also influences the players' own work during the rest of the year, notably in a wide range of educational projects in which they are involved.

Important partnerships with some of the most prominent concert halls in Europe such as the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Cité de la Musique in Paris, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam have all contributed to a full diary for the foreseeable future. The COE is honoured to have a close association with the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, to appear regularly at the festivals in Lucerne and at Styriarte in Graz, and to have strong links with the concert halls in Baden-Baden, Bonn, Budapest, Brussels, Cologne, Luxembourg, Toulouse, Vienna and many more.

Renowned not only for its remarkable live performances but also for the quality of its recordings, the COE has won many international prizes for its wide repertoire. It is proud of its three Gramophone "Record of the Year" awards, a 2004 Grammy Award, and the MIDEM 2008 "Classical Download" Award.

In 2007, the COE was appointed one of the European Union's "Cultural Ambassadors", 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.

Alexander Janiczek director/violin

Alexander Janiczek, highly sought after as a director, soloist, guest leader and chamber musician, was born in Salzburg to a musical family of Polish and Czech descent. He studied with Helmuth Zehetmair at the Mozarteum and also in masterclasses with Max Rostal, Nathan Milstein, Ruggiero Ricci and Dorothy Delay.

Alexander established his name as a concert violinist at the age of nine when he won first prize in the National Competition of Austria. From the age of twenty he developed a close association with Sándor Végh and the Camerata Salzburg. This led to tours across Europe and the Americas as leader, director and soloist and in recordings including Haydn's Sinfonia Concertante and Mozart's G Major Concerto - played on Sándor Végh's famous Paganini Stradivarius.

He is a regular guest director with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, with whom he has toured extensively for many years throughout Europe and the Far East. In 2008 he directed the Orchestra in a European tour with Mitsuko Uchida in a programme of Mozart and Stravinsky. A previous programme of Mozart, Strauss and Wagner with Uchida was toured across Europe in 2007. Of his direction of Strauss' Metamorphosen it was said, ‘we witnessed the phenomenon of twenty-three musicians linked as telepathically as a quartet' (Intermezzo) ‘which seemed to emerge through internal combustion' (The Times).

Alexander Janiczek also has a close relationship with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, whom he led from 1999-2002 and continues to be invited back to as director and soloist on tours throughout Scotland and Europe. He currently directs the Orchestra in the highly acclaimed series of Mozart recordings for Linn Records (Linn CKD 273, 287 and 320).

Alexander also directs orchestras such as the Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali of Milan, the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and has recently committed himself to exploring 19th-century performance practice with La Chambre Philharmonique under Emmanuel Krivine and the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées under Philippe Herreweghe. He has appeared as guest leader for special projects with orchestras such as: Budapest Festival, City of Birmingham Symphony, London Philharmonic, London Symphony and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestras and the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, SWR Radio Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart and Bavarian State Opera, Munich.

Alexander has an extensive repertoire ranging from Bartók and Berg to Mendelssohn and Mozart and has appeared with artists such as Yuri Bashmet, Jir.í Be.lohlávek, Olari Elts, Thierry Fischer, Hans Graf, Philippe Herreweghe, Manfred Honeck, Neeme Järvi, Ton Koopman, Oliver Knussen, Emmanuel Krivine, Antonello Manacorda, Sir Roger Norrington, Murray Perahia, Matthias Pintscher and Joseph Swensen.

As a dedicated chamber musician, he was invited by Mitsuko Uchida and Richard Goode to the Marlboro Music Festival and has appeared with artists such as Thomas Adès, Stefan Arnold, Yuri Bashmet, Joshua Bell, Till Fellner, Steven Isserlis, Boris Pergamenschikow, Denes Varjon, Llyr Williams and Christian Zacharias. His chamber music with Llyr Williams currently includes the complete Beethoven Sonatas and Mendelssohn Trios. He also features on the Hebrides Ensemble's acclaimed CD for Linn Records, ‘Olivier Messiaen: Chamber Works' (Linn CKD 314), launched at London's Wigmore Hall.

Alexander Janiczek plays the ‘Baron Oppenheim' Stradivarius from 1716, which is on loan to him from the National Bank of Austria.