„Mit einer mustergültigen Interpretation des Haydn Cellokonzerts C-Dur (Solist Bonian Tian) hat das Gürzenich Kammerorchester Köln mit seinem individuellen und makellosen Zusammenspiel die Philharmonische Gesellschaft Valencia in ihren Bann gezogen.“ „Das deutsche Ensemble begleitete im Adagio cantabile (Tschaikowsky Souvenir de Florence) in einer Mischung aus Souveränität und überlegenem Können mit wunderbaren Farben das Violinsolo von Torsten Janicke und umrundete mit zarten Pizzicatti die Intervention des Cellosolisten. Die Spannung fand ihren Höhepunkt im letzten Satz Allegro vivace und ging im Crescendo in einen tosenden Applaus über. Das Gürzenich Kammerorchester verabschiedete sich mit einer mit unvergesslichem Feingefühl gespielten Zugabe, dem Adagietto aus der Suite d’Arlesienne von Bizet. Wahrlich ein exzellenter Auftakt in die neue Saison.“
COLOGNE GÜRZENICH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
“Enchanting diversity of sound”, “intimate and sensitive ensemble playing”, and “top class”, are just some of the many positive press reviews of concerts given by the Cologne Gürzenich Chamber Orchestra (CGCO).
The origin of the CGCO stems from the Gürzenich Orchester Köln, the symphony orchestra of Cologne with a rich tradition spanning 150 years. It is the residence orchestra at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall and has collaborated with numerous distinguished conductors such as Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Richard Strauss, Her-mann Abendroth, Kurt Masur, Günther Wand, Istvan Kertesz, Marek Janowski, James Conlon, or Gustavo Dudamel. The present chief conductor is François Xavier Roth. The orchestra has been awarded a number of important prizes for recordings in recent years.
Just as other famous orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic or the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig members of the Gürzenich Orchester founded 1993 a chamber orchestra led by the concert master. The aim is to perform chamber orchestra repertoire predominantly without conductor. The nucleus of the ensemble is a group of fifteen string players, with Torsten Janicke, the first concertmaster of the Gürzenich Orchester, as leader. The CGCO places great importance on making decisions together – from the creation of programs, to the discussion of musical ideas and up to finer details of interpretation.
After its formation, engagements for the GCO followed quickly – from charity concerts for UNICEF, to children’s concerts as part of the ‘Cologne Triennale’ festival with Sir Peter Ustinov and Konrad Beikircher. The CGCO appeared with the conductor Ja-mes Conlon, and soloists such as Frank Peter Zimmerman, Bernd Glemser, or Michaela Petri. The ensemble performed a variety of programs without conductor, including repertoire by Bartók and Stravinsky. Since then, the CGCO has been playing regularly in the subscription concert series of the Cologne and Essen Philharmonic, and makes guest appearances in various cities all over Germany, where the critics praise the spirit and brilliance of its string playing.
Following the great success of its tours to Spain in May 2006 and autumn 2009, the CGCO has been asked back for October 2016. Further more a tour to Japan is planned for 2017.
[Levante vom 21.10.2016; Konzert in Valencia]