Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, a Norwegian national orchestra and one of the oldest in the world, dates back to 1765. Edward Gardner is Chief Conductor. The Orchestra enjoys a high international standing through recordings, touring and international commissions. During the last seasons the orchestra has played in the Concertgebouw, at the BBC Proms, Wiener Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Carnegie Hall, New York, and the Philharmonie, Berlin. The orchestra and Edward Gardner appeared at the Edinburgh International Festival with their critically acclaimed production of Peter Grimes in 2017. In 2018 the Orchestra re-visited BBC Proms and played in the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg as the first Scandinavian orchestra. In January 2019 the orchestra returned to Salzburg, and toured France, Germany and Netherlands. In 2015 the orchestra established its own free live stream service, BergenPhiLive.no, which offers a fine selection of works performed by the orchestra. Highlights include Schoenberg’s GurreLieder, Verdi’s Requiem and Britten’s Peter Grimes. A youth ensemble – Bergen Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, is also established, giving four to six concerts per year.
The Orchestra has an active recording schedule. Recent and ongoing recording projects include a series of orchestral works by Janáček, Messiaen’s Turangalîla, ballets by Stravinsky, and the complete symphonies, ballet suites and concertos by Prokofiev and the complete orchestral music of Edvard Grieg. The Orchestra has recorded with Leif Ove Andsnes, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, James Ehnes, Stuart Skelton, Alban Gerhardt, Vadim Gluzman, Stephen Hough, Freddy Kempf, Truls Mørk and Lawrence Power, among others. The orchestra has recorded Tchaikovsky’s ballets and critically acclaimed series of works by Johan Halvorsen and Johan Svendsen, and with Sir Andrew Davis the Orchestra has recorded music by Berlioz, Delius, Elgar, Sibelius and Vaughan Williams. Edward Gardner and the Orchestra has released a series of recordings: A critically acclaimed series with orchestral works by Janáček, Schönberg’s Gurre-Lieder, Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Incidental music to Peer Gynt, featuring Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Ann-Helen Moen and Lise Davidsen, Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra and Rhapsodies with James Ehnes, Bartoks Bluebeard’s Castle with John Relyea and Michelle DeYoung, and Brahms symphonies Nos 1 and 3.

Des. 2019