Orkester Nord

Norway's Orkester Nord is among Scandinavia's leading period instrument ensembles, offering performances of Baroque and Classical-period music on historically accurate instruments. The group was originally known as Trondheim Barokk but was renamed as its repertory broadened. Trondheim Barokk was formed in 2009 by cellist Martin Wåhlberg and plucked string player Erik Skanke Høsøien. It has remained closely associated with the Norwegian city of Trondheim and often performs in the city's Nidarosdomen (Dome of Nidaros) cathedral. The group has collaborated with such major figures on the Baroque scene as conductor Andrew Parrott, tenor Ian Bostridge, and violinist Sigiswald Kuijken. In 2014, it released the album Ostsee on the Simax label, featuring the music of the northern-oriented and generally little-known Baroque composers Johann Theile, Georg von Bertouch, and Johann Vierdanck. Over time the ensemble's artistic identity was increasingly shaped by Wåhlberg, who, in addition to studying Baroque cello and conducting, is a specialist in literature and the arts, having earned a degree in that field from the Sorbonne in Paris in 2011. He led Trondheim Barokk on the album Le roman des lumières: Chansons de la roman français, 1750-1800, which featured pieces of music, mostly operatic, that were mentioned in French novels of the 18th century. His main focus was French music of the later 18th century, which resulted in the new name Orkester Nord. The orchestra was signed to the major label Aparte and in 2019, released a recording of Raoul Barbe Bleue, a comic opera of André Grétry composed in 1785 and first performed in 1789. The recording was a world premiere for the opera and grew out a performance in the Trondheim Baroque Festival, for which Wåhlberg served as musical director. Although the orchestra's repertory is frequently obscure, critics have noted the group's energy and high standard of performance.
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