"The Martha Müller Concert Hall in state of emergency: with the American violinist and composer Mark O’Connor, Camerata Bern celebrated a dazzling closing of its 49th season...Camerata-concertmistress Antje Weithaas has sat down with the cellist and seems to wonder, when the last time was that Bern had applauded four encores."
"Top level musicianship ..." - "Poignant moments of most touching compassion ..." - "Incredibly homogenous and attractive sound ..." - "Well-balanced voices, rich, rousing, full of charming warmth ..." - "A peak ensemble, nothing outbids its tantalizing style of interpretation ..."
CAMERATA BERN is a highly-acclaimed chamber orchestra uniting top level musicians inspired by the idea of performing within a flexible, self-conducted ensemble.
Founded in 1962, the CAMERATA BERN is a highly-acclaimed chamber orchestra uniting top level musicians inspired by the idea of performing within a flexible, self-conducted ensemble. Among its members are gifted soloists and chamber musicians. Under its artistic director, Grammy-award winner Patricia Kopatchinskaja, as well as guest concertmasters Antje Weithaas, Amandine Beyer, Enrico Onofri and others, the orchestra stands out for its subtle and perfectly homogeneous sound, its freshness and mastery of style in a broad repertoire ranging from early Baroque on period instruments to today’s composers.
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Live recordings Camerata Bern
Mozart: Symphony No. 25 in G minor, KV 183 - I. Allegro con brio
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op.60 - II. Adagio
Brahms: Serenade No. 1 in D major - IV. Menuetto
Schubert: Symphony No. 4 in C minor, D417 - IV. Allegro
Camerata Bern - Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 49 'Kreutzer' - arr. Richard Tognetti - III. Presto
Founded in 1962, the CAMERATA BERN is a highly-acclaimed chamber orchestra uniting top level musicians inspired by the idea of performing within a flexible, self-conducted ensemble. Among its members are gifted soloists and chamber musicians. Under its artistic director, Grammy-award winner Patricia Kopatchinskaja, as well as guest concertmasters Antje Weithaas, Amandine Beyer, Enrico Onofri and others, the orchestra stands out for its subtle and perfectly homogeneous sound, its freshness and mastery of style in a broad repertoire ranging from early Baroque on period instruments to today’s composers.
The ensemble’s outstanding qualities has led it to perform with such eminent artists as Heinz Holliger, Attilio Cremonesi, András Schiff, Alexander Lonquich, Jörg Widmann, Tabea Zimmermann, Bernd Glemser, Christian Gerhaher, Vesselina Kasarova, Radu Lupu, Barbara Hendricks, Peter Schreier, Reinhold Friedrich, Leonidas Kavakos, Angelika Kirchschlager and others.
The ensemble has toured extensively in Europe, South- and North-America, as well as in South-East Asia, the Far East, Australia and Japan. Its recordings on Sony, Deutsche Grammophon/Archiv, Decca, Denon, ERATO, Berlin Classics, Novalis, ECM, Claves and Philips have won several international awards, such as the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Grand Prix International du Disque, the International Record Critics Award, the Record Academy Prize, and the Prize Echo Klassik ‘97 of the Deutsche Phono-Akademie. The latest CD-releases feature Antje Weithaas in Brahms’ and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concertos (CAVI September 2015, February 2018). Several CD-releases with Patricia Kopatchinskaja are in the pipeline.
Lately, CAMERATA BERN has performed among others at the Great Hall of the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, the Konzerthaus Berlin, Zuiderstrandtheater in The Hague, De Oosterpoort Groningen, Concertzaal Tilburg, Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico, Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova, Teatro Nacional in San José/Costa Rica, Teatro Nacional in Panama, Cervantino Festival in Guanajuato/Mexico, Morelia Festival in Mexico, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, in the Sala Sao Paulo, at the Teatro Solis in Montevideo, deSingel International Kunstcampus in Antwerp, at Geneva’s Victoria Hall, in the Tonhalle in Zürich, Wartburg in Eisenach, at the Teatro comunale Mario Del Monaco in Treviso.
Within its large scale educational project for children since 2010, the CAMERATA BERN has performed over 140 concerts in schools across the Canton of Bern. The project developed in the frame of the Education Department’s “Education and culture” programme has reached over 15’000 children up to now, mainly in the canton’s rural areas.
With the English choreographer Cathy Marston, CAMERATA BERN has coproduced two full-length choreographies featuring the Dance Company of Berne’s Theatre. In each 10 performances, “Flight of gravity” (music by Martinu, Tartini, Silvestrow and Penderecki) in 2011, and “Hexenhatz” (Witch-hunt) (Italian baroque music on period instruments) in 2013 thrilled the Berne audience. In March 2015, CAMERATA BERN co-produced Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo” on period instruments with Berne’s City Opera. Recently, the musical theatre piece “Die Formel“ by Torsten Rasch premiered in March 2018 also at Berne’s City Opera.
CAMERATA BERN hosts its own subscription concerts cycles in Berne at the Paul Klee Centre, at the Konservatorium and at the Kultur-Casino. The CAMERATA BERN FOUNDATION is subsidized by the City, the Burgergemeinde and Canton of Berne and receives project-related funding from different foundations and sponsoring partners. One of its main partners is the Ursula Wirz Foundation.
Programmes
Programme examples
Programme I Stravinsky: Concerto in E flat major 'Dumbarton Oaks' Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93 Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
Programme II Arensky: Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a (version for string orchestra) Schnittke: String Quartet No. 3 (arr. by Peter Manning for string orchestra) Penderecki: Ciaccona 'in memoria Giovanni Paolo II per archi' Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (transcr. by Jorma Harkonen for string orchestra)
Programme III Ysaÿe: Exil Schönberg: Verklärte Nacht Enescu: Octet
Programme IV Beethoven: Piano Sonata in A major for string orchestra Hefti: New piece for orchestra Honegger: Concerto da camera for flute, english horn and strings Beethoven: String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131 for string orchestra
Programme V Copland: Appalachian Spring Concerto for clarinet, piano, harp and strings Glass: Mishima Hermann: Psycho Zorn: Kol Nidrey Golijov: Last round
Programme VI Lutoslawski: Trauermusik for strings Hartmann: Concerto funebre Schubert: String Quartet in D minor, D810 'Death and the Maiden' for string orchestra
Programme VII Valentini: Concerto grosso in A minor, Op. 7 No. 11 'A Quattro violini' Rota: Concerto per archiRespighi: Antiche Danze ed Arie Verdi: String Quartet in E minor for string orchestra
Programme VIII Handel: Concerto grosso in C minor, Op. 6 No. 8 Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances, Sz 68 Bach: Concerto in D minor for 2 violins, BWV 1043 Kodály: Marosszéker dances (transcribed 1984 by Sándor Veress for Camerata Bern) Vivaldi: Concerto ripieno in C major, RV 114 Veress: Musica Concertante für 12 solo strings (composed for Camerata Bern)
Programme IX Widmann: Insel der Sirenen for strings Weber: Clarinet Concerto in F minor, Op. 73 Webern: Langsamer Satz for strings Schubert: Symphony No. 4 in C minor, D417 'Tragic'
SHORT BIOGRAPHY
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