The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Although it maintains headquarters in London, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe lives up to its name: the group's roughly 60 members come from all over the European continent as well as Britain. Cultivating relationships with many conductors and venues, the orchestra is especially noteworthy for its recording catalog, which has earned critical acclaim and major awards.
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe was founded in 1981 by a group of young players who had aged out of the European Community Youth Orchestra and wanted to continue making music together. One of the initial movers was Douglas Boyd, who remained the orchestra's lead oboist for many years, and numerous other founding members have remained with the group. The idea of forming a smaller orchestra oriented toward Baroque and Classical repertory was common at the time; less common was the orchestra's democratic structure, which involved a small directorate elected annually by the players. There is no permanent conductor, but the Chamber Orchestra of Europe quickly began to catch the attention of some of the biggest names on the podium. Two years after its formation, the group was tapped by Claudio Abbado for a Deutsche Grammophon recording of Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims. The orchestra has worked with conductors Bernard Haitink, Sakari Oramo, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and many others, and has performed or recorded with top-caliber soloists including Janine Jansen, Emanuel Ax, and Renaud and Gautier Capuçon.
Accordingly, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe tours all over Europe (and sometimes in North America), with no identification with a particular city. These connections have resulted in an unusually deep collection of recordings: since the late '80s, multiple recordings of the orchestra have appeared in almost every year, and 2006 alone saw seven Chamber Orchestra of Europe releases. The group was a European Union cultural ambassador from 2007 until 2013. In 2009, the orchestra established the COE Academy to provide educational opportunities for student performers. Many of the group's recordings feature Baroque or Classical repertory (especially Mozart), but not all; in 2018, the orchestra issued Visions of Prokofiev on Deutsche Grammophon. The orchestra's vast, critically acclaimed recording catalog has earned two Grammy Awards and three Record of the Year Awards from Gramophone magazine. In 2020, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, led by Harnoncourt, was heard on a live recording of Schubert's symphonies made at the Styriarte festival in Graz, Austria, in 1988. The following year, the orchestra and Harnoncourt were heard on an album of works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms; these recordings were made at the same festival spanning from 1989 through 2007. The Chamber Orchestra of Europe is a nonprofit organization and a registered charity in Britain.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Visions of Prokofiev
Lisa Batiashvili, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Symphonieorchester - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 02.02.2018
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Clara & Robert Schumann: Piano Concertos
Beatrice Rana, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 03.02.2023
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Symphonies 1-5 (Live)
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Rias Kammerchor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Symphonien - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 16.06.2017
Gramophone: Recording of the Month5 Sterne Fono Forum Klassik24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The Symphonies
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Klassik - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 15.07.2022
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann : The Symphonies
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Symphonien - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 03.03.2014
Gramophone Editor's Choice24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: The Symphonies
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Klassik - Erschienen bei Ica Classics am 06.11.2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20, K. 466; Piano Sonatas, K. 281 & 332
Seong-Jin Cho, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Klassik - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 16.11.2018
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos.17 & 21
Maria João Pires, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Claudio Abbado
Klassik - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 01.01.1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Felix Mendelssohn - Robert Schumann
Carolin Widmann, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Klassik - Erschienen bei ECM New Series am 26.08.2016
5 Sterne Fono Forum Klassik24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius : Symphonies 1-7
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Paavo Berglund
Symphonien - Erschienen bei Fazer Records - Finlandia am 10.11.1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Chamber Symphonies (2 CD's)
Gidon Kremer, Clemens Hagen, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Rudolf Barshai
Klassik - Erschienen bei Universal Music Division Classics Jazz am 01.01.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 6 "Pastoral" & 8
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Symphonieorchester - Erschienen bei Warner Classics International am 01.01.1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rossini : The Barber of Seville (Highlights)
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Claudio Abbado
Opernauszüge - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 01.01.1972
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Orchestrated Songs
Anne Sofie von Otter, Thomas Quasthoff, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Claudio Abbado
Klassik - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 01.01.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prokofiev : Pierre et le loup - Symphonie Classique - Marche Op.99 - Overture Op.34
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Claudio Abbado, Charles Aznavour
Symphonieorchester - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 01.01.1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf; Classical Symphony Op.25; March Op.99; Overture Op.34
Sting, Stefan Vladar, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Claudio Abbado
Klassik - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 01.01.1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach, J.S.: Concerti BWV 1052-58
András Schiff, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Marieke Blankestijn
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations, Andante cantabile, Pezzo capriccioso & Nocturne - Cello Works by Glazunov, Cui, Rimsky-Korsakov
Steven Isserlis, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, John Eliot Gardiner
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 10.02.2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rossini : Il Viaggio a Reims
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Claudio Abbado, Prague Philharmonic Choir
Gesamtaufnahmen von Opern - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 01.01.1983
Qobuz’ SchallplattensammlungGramophone Record of the Year16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert Soirée
Gidon Kremer, Gabrielle Lester, Diemut Poppen, Richard Lester, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Klassik - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 01.01.1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Violin Concertos 1 & 2
Akiko Suwanai, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo