Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
The Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra (Keski-Pohjanmaan Kamariorkesteri) is one of the world's leading chamber orchestras. It is known for its advancement of Nordic music and for its unique history as a children's orchestra that, literally, grew up to be a major international ensemble.
In 1971 Juha Kangas, then a violist in the Helsinki Philharmonic, came to the Ostrobothnian Music College (now Ostrobothnian Conservatory) in Kokkola, Finland, as a violin and viola professor. Kangas, a student of the great violin and chamber music teacher Onni Suhonen, was from the region, hailing from the town of Kaustinen, 50 kilometers away, and was brought up in the area's rich traditional of itinerant folk musicians. (Ostrobothnia refers to the northern part of Finland's eastern coast, bordering on the Gulf of Bothnia that divides Finland from Sweden.)
Initially, the orchestra was a group of children ten and eleven years old. Kangas worked with the same group of young players as they advanced in experience and skill. By 1976, it appeared for the first time on a national stage at the annual youth arts fair in Lahti under the name "Chamber Orchestra of the Central Ostrobothnian Music College."
The orchestra formed a partnership with composer Pehr Henrik Nordgren, a resident of Kaustinen, who gave the OCO the premieres of most of his music for string orchestra.
In addition to playing new music, Kangas and the OCO became known for ferreting out worthy Finnish music that had been overlooked. Examples are works by Uuno Klami, Ahti Sonninen and Erkki Salmenhaara. In addition, the orchestra has brought into prominence Time of Taromir by Karin Rehnqvist and the Concerto for Strings by Ingvar Lidholm.
There is a tendency noted by Finnish arts commentators for the more populous and cosmopolitan south coastal region extending from Helsinki to dismiss the artistic efforts of the country's northern areas, and so the growth of the OCO was often overlooked. As a result the orchestra's second "composer in residence" was not a Finn at all, but the Swedish composer Anders Eliasson. In the 1980s, the orchestra became semi-professional and since 1989 has been a fully professional organization. In 1993, Kangas and the orchestra won the Nordic Music Prize and in 1995 were recognized by the Finnish Composers' Copyright Society (Teosto) with its "Creation prize" for "professional creative work that has significantly promoted Finnish music." In 1998, it received the Madetoja Award of the Finnish Composers' Society.
Throughout most of the existence of the orchestra Kangas has conducted almost all the concerts, with only rare appearances by guest conductors. In 2009 he cut his conducting duties to half. Guest conductors included Sakari Oramo, Tuomas Hannikainen, and Johannes Gustavsson. The average age of the orchestra is still young; just about 30. None of the original players from 1971 are still members, but some have been with the group since 1973. Later recordings include Sunleif Rasmussen: String against String (2007) for Dacapo and Nordgren's Symphony for Strings; Hate-Love (2009) for Ondine.
© TiVo
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VASKS, P.: Symphony No. 2 / Violin Concerto, "Distant Light" (Storgards)
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 1 jan. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
As in a Dream
Marko Ylonen, Lilli Maijala, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Olivier Thiery, Juha Kangas
Klassiek - Released by Alba on 15 mrt. 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Metsän poika – On the Fields of Tapiola
Jorma Hynninen, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Vocale muziek (wereldlijk en religieus) - Released by Alba on 18 feb. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wiljami Niittykoski: Works for String Orchestra
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by Alba on 9 dec. 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Flute Concertos / Rondo / Andante
Sharon Bezaly, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Klassiek - Released by BIS on 1 feb. 2008
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stockholm Diary
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Malin Broman
Klassiek - Released by Alba on 1 apr. 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Recharged by Nature
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Malin Broman, Pekka Kuusisto
Klassiek - Released by Alba Records on 27 okt. 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Gál: Music for Viola, Vol. 1
Hanna Pakkala, Reijo Tunkkari, Takuya Takashima, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Irina Zahharenkova, Sakari Oramo
Kamermuziek - Released by Toccata Classics on 6 sep. 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Dedicated To
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Klassiek - Released by Alba on 1 dec. 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Nordgren: Storm & Fear
Henri Sigfridsson, Monica Groop, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Klassiek - Released by Alba on 13 jan. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
RAUTAVAARA, E.: String Orchestra Works - Canto I-IV / Hommage a Zoltan Kodaly / Suite / Ballad (Kangas)
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Reija Bister, Juha Kangas
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 1 jan. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
C.P.E. Bach: Hamburger Sinfonien, Wq 182
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Sakari Oramo
Klassiek - Released by Alba on 1 okt. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Anders Chydenius Collection
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Kokkola Quartet, Niamh McKenna, Elina Mustonen
Klassiek - Released by Alba on 20 mrt. 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Adagietto
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Klassiek - Released by Fazer Records - Finlandia on 26 jan. 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lamentations (Juha Kangas)
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Anni Haapaniemi, Juha Kangas
Klassiek - Released by Alba on 1 jul. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
NORDGREN, P.H.: Pelimannimuotokuvia / ELLER, H.: 5 Pieces / GRIEG, E.: 2 Nordic Melodies (Folk into Classic) (Kangas)
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 1 jan. 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Epifania
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Klassiek - Released by Alba on 1 mrt. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vasks 'Cantabile' and Other Baltic Wrks for Str Orch Vol 2
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Klassiek - Released by Fazer Records - Finlandia on 31 mrt. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Eliasson: Horn Concerto / Violin Concerto / Desert Point (Anders Eliasson)
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by Caprice on 1 jan. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Silent Moods
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Marko Ylonen, Juha Kangas
Klassiek - Released by Alba on 15 nov. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Reflections of a River Valley
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by Alba on 5 jan. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo