Terje Tønnesen
Norwegian musician Terje Tønnesen has pursued dual careers of long renown as a violin soloist and as leader and artistic director of the innovative Norwegian Chamber Orchestra.
Tønnesen was born February 27, 1955, in Oslo. His parents were both scientific researchers, but he showed early talent on the violin, and after studying at Oslo's Veivet Music School, he took first prize at a contest in Lausanne, Switzerland, at age 16. That won him admission to the conservatory in Bern, where he studied with Max Rostal. Tønnesen also attended summer classes in Trondheim, Norway, and he and a group of like-minded young players continued their work in a university seminar at the Folkeuniversitetet in Friundervisningen. The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra (in Norwegian, Det Norske Kammerorkester or DNK) grew out of these interactions and made its debut in 1977 with Tønnesen as leader. He then became artistic director, sharing that position for many years with British violinist Iona Brown and continuing in the role after her death. The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, with Tønnesen at the helm, almost immediately began to attract the attention of recording companies; its first album, of Baroque flute concertos, appeared on BIS in 1978. It has recorded for Simax, Virgin, Naim, Chandos, and many other labels, moving to Lawo Classics in 2017 for a recording of Leos Janacek's two string quartets, arranged for string orchestra.
Glamorous with his long black hair, Tønnesen became the face of the orchestra. He specialized in works like Vivaldi's Four Seasons that demand a charismatic violin soloist, and his appeal easily made the transition to recordings. Independently of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Tønnesen has recorded for ECM, Simax, BIS, and other labels, issuing a pair of recordings on BIS in 2017 with a new group, Camerata Nordica, devoted to "mad songs" of Biber and Telemann and to chamber orchestra works of Mozart.
A composer as well as a violinist and leader, Tønnesen has written music for stage productions performed at the Nye Theater in Oslo.
© TiVo
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Discography
9 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Grieg: Complete Music for String Orchestra (The)
Terje Tønnesen, Lars Anders Tomter, Anne Britt Saevig, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by BIS on 31 Jan 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Serenata notturna, 3 Divertimenti & Eine kleine Nachtmusik
Camerata Nordica, Terje Tønnesen
Classical - Released by BIS on 1 Sep 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The Late String Quartets (Arr. T. Tønnesen for String Orchestra)
Classical - Released by BIS on 6 Nov 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Symphony No. 2 "Fate" In D Minor / Scenes From Norwegian Tales / Air Norvégien / Norwegian Dance No. 1, 2 & 3 / Veslemøy's Song
Johan Halvorsen, Terje Tønnesen, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Karsten Andersen
Classical - Released by Universal Music AS on 1 Jan 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Britten: Frank Bridge Variations - Lachrymae - Elegy for Strings - Simple Symphony - Two Portraits
Camerata Nordica, Terje Tønnesen
Classical - Released by BIS on 30 Sep 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tales of Sound and Fury
Camerata Nordica, Terje Tønnesen, Karin Dahlberg
Chamber Music - Released by BIS on 5 May 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Visions fugitives & Other Music for Strings
Camerata Nordica, Terje Tønnesen
Classical - Released by BIS on 29 Sep 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg - Complete Violin Sonatas
Terje Tønnesen, Einar Henning Smebye
Classical - Released by Simax Classics on 1 Jan 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Eivind Buene: Garland
Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Terje Tønnesen
Classical - Released by Aurora Records AS on 10 Nov 2017
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo