Truls Mørk, cello

Reviews:

'Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio is a masterpiece of the genre. The finest modern recording has been on BIS with Freddy Kempf… That's challenged now by… commanding contribution in his new recording; he's equally bold and strong in the bolder moments of the opening Pezzo elegiaco and his unforced virtuosity is as memorable... Gil Shaham and Truls Mørk are just as warm and sensitive, spacious and charismatic, especially in the quicksilver finale which moves from resoluto and con fuoco to a very touching closing Andante lugubre'

Gramophone

'So many CDs, so little time…. but every once in a while a disc arrives for review that grabs me so thoroughly that I find myself listening to it over and over. I’ve got one now in Canary Classics’ new release of the Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A minor. This is an irresistible recording, performed by three outstanding soloists who collaborate here like a dream: pianist Yefim Bronfman, violinist Gil Shaham, and cellist Truls Mork. It’s a wonderful piece of chamber music. The performers seem to be having a terrific time, and it’s infectious. Don’t miss this one.'

St Louis Post-Dispatch

Truls Mørk’s compelling performances, combining fierce intensity, integrity and grace, have established him as one of the most pre-eminent cellists of our time.

He has appeared with orchestras including the Orchestre de Paris, Staatskapelle Dresden, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony and Cleveland orchestras amongst others. Conductor collaborations include Myung-Whun Chung, Mariss Jansons, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Simon Rattle, and Christoph Eschenbach.

Forthcoming highlights include concerts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Vladimir Jurowski), Berliner Philharmoniker (Alan Gilbert), Philharmonia Orchestra (Jakub Hrůša), Wiener Symphoniker and Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (both with James Gaffigan), hr-Sinfonieorchester (David Zinman), and Münchner Philharmoniker (Lionel Bringuier). Truls Mørk will tour with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Mariss Jansons) to London and Paris, and with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Neeme Järvi), where he performs Brahms’ Double Concerto with Vadim Repin. In North America, Mørk collaborates with Vadim Repin in summer 2013 performing Brahms’ Double Concerto at the Mostly Mozart Festival under David Afkham, and with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (Kent Nagano) as well as a return to The Philadelphia Orchestra (Yannick Nézet-Séguin) which will include a performance at Carnegie Hall. Mørk makes a return to both the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Symphony in 2014, which will be followed by a European tour with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis.

Truls Mørk continues to give regular recitals at major venues and festivals throughout the world.

As part of the 2011 Bergen International Festivalhe performed the complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas over two evenings, together with the Variations for cello and piano - last presented at the Festival in this format by Jacqueline du Pré in 1970.

Truls Mørk is a committed performer of contemporary music and in spring 2012 gave the UK premiere of Rautavaara’s Towards the Horizon with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Other premieres have included Pavel Haas’ Cello Concerto with the Wiener Philharmoniker (under Jonathan Nott), Krzysztof Penderecki's Concerto for Three Cellos with the NHK Symphony Orchestra (Charles Dutoit) and Haflidi Hallgrimsson’s Cello Concerto, co-commissioned by the Oslo Philharmonic, Iceland Symphony and Scottish Chamber orchestras. 

As a recording artist Truls Mørk has collaborated with violinist Gil Shaham and pianist Yefim Bronfman on 2 recordings: Beethoven’s Triple Concerto and for Canary Classics Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio, hailed by the St Louis Post-Dispatch as ‘an irresistible recording, performed by three outstanding soloists who collaborate here like a dream’. Rautavaara’s Towards the Horizon was recorded for Ondine with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under John Storgårds and nominated for a Grammy Award. Mørk’s recording of the highly acclaimed C.P.E. Bach Cello Concerti disc for Virgin Classics with Les Violons du Roy under Bernard Labadie was awarded a 2011 ECHO Klassik Award. Other recordings include the Brahms Double Concerto with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Riccardo Chailly and Vadim Repin on Deutsche Grammophon, and Haflidi Hallgrímsson's works for cello and orchestra for Ondine. For Virgin Classics, amongst others he has also recorded Schumann's Cello Concerto with Paavo Järvi and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the complete Bach Cello Suites as well as the Britten Cello Suites, which won a Grammy Award in 2002.

Initially taught by his father, Truls Mørk continued his studies with Frans Helmerson, Heinrich Schiff and Natalia Schakowskaya. His numerous awards include the Norwegian Critics’ Prize in 2011 and the 2010 Sibelius Prize. Truls Mørk plays on the rare 1723 Domenico Montagnana ‘Esquire’.