Jump to content

Truls Mørk

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Truls Mørk
A man sitting in a chair, at rest, holding a cello at his side
Background information
Birth nameTruls Olaf Otterbech Mørk
Born (1961-04-25) 25 April 1961 (age 63)
Bergen, Norway
OriginNorwegian
GenresClassical
Occupation(s)Musician, music teacher
InstrumentCello
LabelsVirgin Classics
Simax Classics
Deutsche Grammophon
Ondine
Websitenmh.no/en/about_nmh/staff/truls-mork

Truls Olaf Otterbech Mørk (born 25 April 1961) is a Norwegian cellist.

Biography

[edit]

Mørk was born in Bergen, Norway to a cellist father, John Fritjof Mørk, and a pianist mother, Turid Otterbech.[1] His mother began teaching him the piano when he was seven. Mørk also played the violin, but soon switched to the cello, taking lessons from his father.

Mørk began his studies with Frans Helmerson at 17 at Edsberg Music Institute. An admirer of Mstislav Rostropovich and the Russian school of cello, Mørk went on to study with the Russian cellist Natalia Shakhovskaya.

In 1982, Mørk became the first Scandinavian musician to reach the finals of the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow since Arto Noras in 1966, and won the sixth prize.[2] He subsequently went on to win second prize at the 1986 Naumburg Competition in New York City and, in 1986, the Cassado Cello Competition in Florence. In 1989, he embarked on his first major concert tour, soloing with many of the finest orchestras of Europe. In 1994, he toured the United States with the Oslo Philharmonic, including debuts at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.

Mørk, Marriner, Orquesta Nacional de España, Auditorio Nacional, Madrid, 1 February 2015.

Mørk's discography includes an award-winning recordings of the Shostakovich Cello Concertos and of Bach's Suites for Solo Cello. He has recorded for such labels as Virgin Classics and harmonia mundi.[3] Mørk's interest in chamber music led to the foundation of the International Chamber Music Festival of Stavanger.

In April 2009, Mørk experienced an infection of the central nervous system, presumably caused by a tick bite he received in the United States in 2006, with subsequent encephalitis, and paralysis in the shoulder muscles of the left arm. In the autumn of 2009, he expressed concern that he might never be able to perform again.[4] After 18 months away from concert activity, during which time he was awarded the 2010 Sibelius Prize,[5] Mørk resumed his career.

Mørk holds a Professorship at the Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo. For more than 30 years, he performed on a rare Domenico Montagnana cello (Venice, 1723), whose scroll was made by Stradivarius. Norway's SR-Bank purchased the cello, and loaned it to him. The instrument was recently bought by the Dkfm. Angelika Prokopp Privatstiftung, which now loans it to cellist Harriet Krijgh.

Honors

[edit]

Discography (in selection)

[edit]

Soloist

[edit]

Compilations

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Truls Mørk". Norsk biografisk leksikon.
  2. ^ Serge Schmemann (1982-07-07). "Brazilian Is Tchaikovsky Cello Winner". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-11-29.
  3. ^ Nicholas Kenyon (2011-04-09). "CPE Bach: Cello Concertos; Harpsichord Concertos – review". The Observer. Retrieved 2014-11-29.
  4. ^ Eivind Kristensen (2009-11-07). "Truls Mørk klarer ikke spille lenger". Dagbladet. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
  5. ^ "Cellist Truls Mørk wins Sibelius Prize in Oslo". The Strad. 2013-01-27. Archived from the original on 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2014-11-29.
[edit]