27 October

20:00

European Union Chamber Orchestra

Conductor: Jerome Akoka

Solist: Şefika Kutluer

Antonio Vivaldi ( 1678 – 1741 ) 6 Concerti, Op.10

Concerto No. 1 “La tempesta di mare ” in F Major

Allegro – Largo – Allegro

Concerto No. 2 “La notte “ in G-Minor

Largo – Presto ( “Fantasmi”) – Largo – Presto – Largo ( “il sonno” ) – Allegro

Concerto No. 3 “Il cardellino” in D Major

Allegro – Cantabile – Allegro

Concerto No. 4 in G Major

Allegro – Largo – Allegro

Concerto No. 5 in F-Major

Allegro ma non tanto – Largo e cantabile – Allegro

Concerto No. 6 in G-Major

Allegro – Largo – Allegro

Solist Şefika Kutluer

INTERMISSION

Haydn – Symphony no.26 ‘Lamentatione’

Mozart – Symphony no.29 in A major K.201

The EUCO (Patron: HM Queen Sofia of Spain) gave its first concerts in 1981 and soon gained a worldwide reputation as a musical ambassador for the European Union. From 1992 to 2004 assistance from the European Commission enabled EUCO to make intercontinental tours covering South and East Asia, North, South and Central America, North Africa and the Middle East as well as Europe. Performances included those in the presence of Queen Noor of Jordan, the King and Queen of Belgium and its own Patron, Queen Sofia of Spain. In 1999 EUCO gave a concert to mark the 77th birthday of King Sihanouk of Cambodia in the Royal Palace at Phnom Penh and in 2000 performed for the birthday of Princess Galyani in Bangkok.

At the invitation of the European Delegations, EUCO toured South America seven times and Mexico nine times and in 1996 was the first “European” Orchestra to give concerts in Belize and Cuba. In 1997 EUCO’s tour of Canada celebrated 500 years since the landing of John Cabot and in 1998 EUCO toured India in celebration of 50 years of Indian independence and the British Presidency of the EU. Other countries to which it returned very regularly included Chile and Peru, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Since 2005 EUCO has concentrated on performing across Europe, in particular in the new member states of the European Union. Giving annually between 50 and 60 concerts, to date in 73 countries, its schedule includes prestigious halls such as the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Frankfurter Alte Oper, Milan’s Sala Verdi and Valencia’s Palau de la Musica as well as many major halls across Britain. The Orchestra has appeared at international festivals such as the Glasperlenspiel, Mecklenburg Vorpommern, Emilia Romagna, Flanders, Echternach and Bodensee. Its most recent tours in 2010 have taken it to the UK, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Turkey, France, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Peru.. The Orchestra’s first tour fo 2011 included 9 UK concerts with Nicola Benedetti.

The Orchestra performs with many distinguished artists, for example Cyprien Katsaris, Lazar Berman, Mischa Maisky and Igor Oistrakh, Ivo Pogorelich and Gil Apap. Sefika Kutluer frequently performs with EUCO. The Orchestra commissions works from leading European composers and has to its credit 18 CDs on ASV, Hyperion, Koch and Regent.

Over the years EUCO has received funds from the European Commission, British Council, Goethe-Institut, the Ministry of Culture of Spain, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy and the Cultural Relations Committee of Ireland.

Jerome Akoka

Born into a family of musicians, JEROME AKOKA studied in Paris, Budapest,
Moscow and Siena before embarking on a career as a violin soloist and chamber
musician as well as leader of various ensembles, for example Alternance and
Erwartung.

He has performed with orchestras and given recitals in France, the USA, Germany,
Italy, Spain, Israel Canada, Argentina, Poland and Finland and recorded CDs,
acclaimed by critics. Composers such as Therese Brenet, Jacques Veyrier, Augusto
Rattenbach and Pierre Wissmer have asked him to premiere their new works.

Having been a member of the Quatuor Simon, Akoka performed with the Orpheus
Quartet until 2008 on the international stage. Since 2004 he has led the Deutsche
Kammerakademie and been a guest conductor of this chamber orchestra . In
the sphere of Early Music, Akoka founded and was conductor of the Fragonard
Ensemble. He also participated in both the Chambre Philharmonique et du Cercle de
l’Harmonie and the Ensemble Prometheus 21.

Since 2007 Akoka has been Artistic Director of the concert series held at the Musée
National de Port-Royal-des-Champs in Paris.

Jérôme Akoka plays on a violin of Carlo Tononi, made in Venice in 1720 or a violin
of the Amati brothers, made in Cremona in 1630.

The EUCO CRITICS

EUCO’s concert in Santiago,Chile, was voted “Best Concert of the Year” by the Chilean Circle of Arts Critics.

“The wonderful European Union Chamber Orchestra … played with beautiful, dancing transparency.”
Daily Telegraph, July 2010.

“The day was really saved by the fresh and fantasy-filled playing of the European Union Chamber Orchestra.”
The Times July 2010

“The players gave a highly charged performance of incredible tautness and dynamic shading, A string sound to die for. … it frequently sounded like a full symphonic string section.”
Plymouth Evening Herald July 2010