Biography
The EUCO 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.
At the invitation of 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. 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. Countries to which it returned very regularly included Chile and Peru, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
Since 2005 EUCO has devoted more time to performing across Europe, in particular in the new member states of the European Union. Giving annually circa 50 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 Bath and Cheltenham, the Glasperlenspiel, Niedersächsische Musiktage, Emilia Romagna, Flanders and Bodensee. Its tours in recent years included South America and the Baltic States as well as regular concerts in the UK, Italy, Germany, the Benelux countries and Turkey. The 2012 schedule took in a live broadcast on BBC Radio 3 from Llandudno with Julian Lloyd Webber, the Bath Festival with Alison Balson, concerts at the Ravello Festival in Italy and Luxembourg and a tour of Christmas concerti with Nicola Benedetti. The 2013 schedule includes tours of Germany, Spain, the UK and Turkey.
The Orchestra performs with many distinguished artists, for example Cyprien Katsaris, Lazar Berman, Mischa Maisky and Igor Oistrakh and most recently with James Galway, Ivo Pogorelich and Gilles Apap. The Orchestra commissions works from leading European composers and has to its credit 18 CDs on ASV, Carlton, Hyperion, Koch, Regent and Barn Cottage Records.
Over the years, the 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.
Reviews
Why go all the way to Cheltenham to hear Vivaldi's Four Seasons? For one thing, the performers were the wonderful European Union Chamber Orchestra with starry young violinist Alina Ibragimova.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
This enthusiastic young band, which plays standing in the Viennese manner, makes even the most familiar music sound newly minted. The greatest delights came in the final Allegro, where scales fizzed like rockets and tremolos shuddered with all the ferocity of a terrier shaking a rat. Super fun.
BIRMINGHAM Post
Il concerto ha colpito tutti per la straordinaria capacità interpretativa e l'altissimo livello di esecuzione raggiunto dall'Orchestra.
Corriere EMILIA ROMAGNA
Schon der Einstieg übertraf die hoch gesteckten Erwartungen. So frisch und lebendig wie an diesem Abend hört man Telemanns humorvolle Suite wahrlich nicht alle Tage.
FRANKFURTER Allgemeine
Mit einem Programm, dessen Werke das gemeinsame Moment der Überraschung und Raffinesse verbindet........das EUCO machte durch sein frisches, von Pult zu Pult auch untereinander kommunizierendes Spiel aufmerksam auf diese im Gestus diskrete Musik.
STUTTGARTER Zeitung
Klare Phrasierungen in weichem sonorem Streicherklang, fein nuancierte Abstufungen in Tempo und Dynamik, stilsichere Tremoli und eine präzise Artikulation der schnellen Laufe prägten die Interpretation.
Westdeutsche Allgemeine - RUHR
The Chamber Orchestra was on top form. After finding emotion and eloquence in Mozart's slow movement, the Finale dashed along. Barber's famous Adagio was then a delicate web of controlled tension.
Gulf Daily News BAHRAIN
Virtuosismo Europea......La extensión de lo emotivo a lo técnicamente distribuido puso en alto relieve el uso de las posibilidades dinámicas.
La Prensa de NICARAGUA
Es que la jerarquia y la trayectoria de la agrupación se impuso desde la primera nota.
La Estrella de ARICA (Chile)
For some full reviews, see downloads:
Bath Festival and Plymouth 2012
Luxemburg 2012 (in German) and Murcia 2013 (in Spanish)
Birmingham 2012 & Derby 2013
Repertoire
Elaine Agnew: 'I am a miracle'
Albinoni: Concerto for Two Oboes in G
Bach: Piano Concerto in D minor & Concerto for Oboe and violin in D minor
Barber: Adagio for Strings
Bartok: Rumanian Dances
Boccherini: Symphony in B flat
Britten: Simple Symphony
Handel: Overture to Rodrigo, Cantatas 'Silete venti' & 'Agrippina'
Gagliano: Makpya
John Garth: Cello Concerto
Fiorillo: Violin Concerto in F
Gretry: Flute Concerto
Haydn: Symphonies no.22 (Philosopher), 26 (Lamentazione), 28, 34, 43 (Merkur), 44 (Trauer), 49 (Passione), 64 (Tempora Mutantur), Violin Concertos in C & G, Concerto for Violin & Piano in F, Piano Concerto in D
Hindemith: Fünf Stücke op.44
La Licata: Chant pour un Equinoxe
Mozart: The Five Violin Concertos Bassoon Concerto K191, Flute Concerto K.313, Oboe Concerto K.314, Andante for Flute K.315, Piano Concerto K.246, Clarinet Concerto K.622, Symphony K.201, Adagio K411, Serenade K.406, Eine kleine Nachtmusik K525
Paisiello: Harp Concerto
Puccini: Crisantemi
Schwindl: Symphony in F
Sollima: Cello Concerto
Stamitz: Viola Concerto in D
Stassi: Arioso W.O.
Telemann: Concerto for Two Horns
Viotti: Violin Concerto in A
Vivaldi: Piccolo Concerto in C, Flute Concertos 'il Cardellino' & 'la Tempesta di mare', Bassoon Concerto in A minor, Concertos for Two Oboes, for Two violas, for Four Violins, for Viola & Guitar, for Cello & Bassoon
Warlock: Capriol Suite
Van Maldere: Symphony in G minor
Wesley: Symphony in D
