The
Chamber Orchestra of Europe founded in 1981, has a membership of 50
musicians from 15 countries who perform together mainly in continental
Europe where important links have grown with the cities of Berlin,
Frankfurt, Graz, Cologne and Paris. From the beginning, the COE has
appeared with the world's leading conductors and soloists, and has
recorded over 200 works with ten major companies, for which it has won
numerous international prizes including three "Gramophone Record of
the Year" awards.
During 2002 the Chamber Orchestra of Europe is
celebrating its 21st birthday. Here are some highlights of the COE's
activities and achievements in recent years:
1991
* The International Mozart Festival commemorating 200th anniversary of
Mozart's death opened with concerts conducted by Sir Georg Solti across
Europe.
* The COE, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, was chosen to perform
Mozart's last three symphonies in Vienna, the city where the composer
died, on the anniversary of his death on 5 December 1791.
* A six-part television series about the Chamber Orchestra of Europe was
broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK.
1992
* Gramophone voted as "Record of the Year" Teldec's recording
of the Beethoven symphony cycle conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and
it went on to win every other major international award.
* The Salzburg Festival opened with Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting
Beethoven's Missa Solemnis; the Bicentenary Rossini Opera Festival in
Pesaro, birthplace of the composer, opened with a performance of
"Viaggio A Reims", opera conducted by Claudia Abbado.
1994
* At the Salzburg Festival the Orchestra 's two complete cycles of the
Beethoven symphonies conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt were described
unanimously as a "superlative", "impeccable" and
"unparalleled".
1995
* The 75th anniversary season of the Salzburg Festival opened with the
COE performing Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" conducted by
Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
* The Orchestra's recording of "Cosě fan tutte" with Sir
Georg Solti was described in The Times as "eclipsing all other
recent versions".
1996
* Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the COE presented the complete Beethoven
symphony cycle at Carnegie Hall in New York to standing ovations.
1997
* Claudio Abbado conducted Schubert symphony cycles at the Salzburg and
Berlin Festivals and performances of Mozart's "Don Giovanni"
which were also recorded by DG.
* Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducted Schubert's opera "Alfonso &
Estrella" at the Vienna Festival and two complete Brahms symphony
cycles at Styriarte in Graz in the centenary year of the composer's
death.
1998
* Recordings of the Sibelius symphony cycle conducted by Paavo Berglund
were launched at the Edinburgh International Festival where the COE's
three concerts with him to present the symphonies were hailed as
"glorious, superlative, inspirational, phenomenal, wholly
magisterial".
2000
* The COE began its recording of all the Beethoven piano concertos with
Pierre Laurent Aimard and Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
2001
* The Chamber Orchestra of Europe celebrated its 20th birthday.
* With vital support from the COE's sponsor, CGNU, the Brahms symphonies
with Paavo Berglund were released on Ondine Records ("Athletic yet
graceful Brahms with enough revelatory detail to change your view of the
music, and even your recorded preferences" - Gramophone).
* Celebrations took place of Alfred Brendel's 70th birthday in concerts
throughout Europe, performances of the Verdi Requiem with Nikolaus
Harnoncourt in Vienna and Graz, and Recordings for Teldec of Dvorák
Slavonic Dances and Bartók's "Music for Strings, Percussion &
Celeste" and Divertimento.
and looking ahead in 2002
* Celebrations continue with the Orchestra's 21st birthday in May.
* European concerts, festival engagements, tours and recordings are
taking place with Claudio Abbado, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Paavo Berglund,
Frans Brüggen, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Sir Charles Mackerras, Viktoria
Mullova, Anne Sofie von Otter and András Schiff.
