6.01.2008 Vertavo spellemannsnominert!! Vertavo er nominert til årets spellemann 2007 i klassen samtidsmusikk
01.01.2008 HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR FRIENDS!!
18.02.2007 New instruments to Vertavo Quartet!!!! Dextra Musica AS has given us the opportunity to play on faboulous "new" instruments, thank you!! Berit : Lorenzo Storioni from Cremona, 1770. Øyvor : Giovanni Battista Ceruti, Cremona late 1700. Henninge :Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, build in Torino 1781. Bjørg : Gennaro Gagliano, Napoli 1748.
28.01.2007 Vertavo goes America Welcome to our web site!! We are back from our tour in America that was great fun!! Not to mension all the nice people that took care of us, no names but a big hug to you all from "the ladies" Read more about our tour on the reviews page
31.05.2006 Vertavo Quartet Having followed the career of the young Norwegians since they walked away with every prize on offer at the Melbourne competition a decade ago, their long overdue first visit to Sheffield confirms the Vertavo's status among today's top five string quartets. Their playing is so unfussy and devoid of showmanship, but is blessed with the most perfect technique and faultless intonation. They are an impeccable ensemble with inner transparency and, above all, the desire to be part of a team. The performance of Mendelssohn's E minor Quartet was a mix of refined elegance and impish good humour that sped along at ideally chosen speeds, the slow movement a passage of idyllic repose. They were joined in Schumann's Piano Quartet by Charles Owen, the foursome negotiating the Studio's problematic balance whenever a keyboard is involved, for this is a score requiring the pianist to never dominate. That it was successfully achieved was very much due to the virile string tone. David Denton, Yorkshire Post
15.06.2005 Griegprisen 2005 til Vertavokvartetten Ved en seremoni i Troldsalen 15. juni overrakte styreleder Herman Friele Grieg-prisen 2005 til Vertavo-kvartetten. Troldhaugens styre besluttet i 1972 å opprette en pris til en norsk utøvende tonekunstner, Grieg-forsker eller et kor/orkester som har vist seg spesielt fortjent til årets pris. Denne utdeles årlig på Edvard Griegs fødselsdag den 15. juni; i år for 37. gang. Prisen kan ifølge statuttene også deles ut til forskere eller personer som på en særskilt måte har gjort en innsats for Edvard Grieg og Troldhaugen.. Styret ved Edvard Grieg Museum - Troldhaugen har i år gjort vedtak om å gi årets pris til et ensemble, som gjennom over 20 år, har profilert Norge og norsk musikk på enestående vis. Deres innspilling av Griegs strykekvartett ble vinner i NRKs Blindebukk-test der 10 ulike versjoner av høy kvalitet deltok. Om det er Grieg, Brahms, Pärt, Germeten eller Asheim, - de fremstår alltid med glødende engasjement og formidlingsiver. Vi siterer en kritiker: Denne spesielle kombinasjon av friskhet og mykhet, og dens potensial at lynrask akselerering fra et dempet uttrykk inn i et blodfylt pulserende spill, løftet musikken til uanede høyder.
22.10.2004 Vertavo String Quartet celebrate 20th anniversary with new album The renowned Vertavo String Quartet celebrate their 20th anniversary with a new release. ‘Les Vendredis’ (the Fridays) is a collection of fresh and beautiful one-movement pieces written for the monthly musical soiree at the house of the wealthy music lover Beliaeff in late 1800s St. Petersburg. 20 years after four talented teenagers got together for a competition in Finland, 2004 finds the Vertavo String Quartet as the only professional string quartet in Scandinavia. Celebrating this anniversary the Vertavos launch their sixth solo CD - presenting rarely recorded and utterly charming gems from the Friday soirees of late 1800s St. Petersburg. Following the success of the complete Béla Bartók quartets (among other things Editor's Choice in Gramophone) the Vertavo girls now present a handful of fantastic small pieces just waiting to be enjoyed by a large audience. Les Vendredis (the Fridays) is a collection of fresh and beautiful one-movement pieces written for the monthly musical soiree at the house of the wealthy music lover Beliaeff in late 1800s St. Petersburg. The first Friday of every month composers and musicians, often guests from other parts of Russia too, would gather to play together, try out parts of works in progress, and enjoy good food and drink. It even became a thing to write music especially for these Fridays, and here the composers would try to top each other in musical ideas and playfulness. Through 20 years the Vertavo String Quartet has developed a great sensitivity for what different kinds of music, both within the classical repertoire and beyond. The quartet is an absolute favourite when pop-bands in Norway need some serious backing, and the Vertavo girls have done numerous live gigs and featured on more than 50 albums. And what makes them so interesting for the pop-people is precisely what makes it possible to do Les Vendredis with such a flare as the Vertavos do here. This is music between the private sphere and the concert hall, between the dance floor and consentrated listening. Endlessly generous for the listener and very demanding for the musician. Music that will fall flat on its face if it is not performed with this combination of virtuosity and charm that is Vertavo's trademark. Vertavo String Quartet is Øyvor Volle (violin), Berit Cardas (violin), Henninge Landaas (viola) and Bjørg Værnes (cello). Since the breakthrough with the four prizes at the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition in 1995, the Vertavo has released six solo albums - all for Simax Classics - with music by Carl Nielsen, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, Edvard Grieg, Claude Debussy (Diapason d'Or), Béla Bartók and now Les Vendredis. Just recently they recorded Mozart with Martin Fröst, also highly acclaimed. Vertavo is managed by KDS UK and Germany, and regularly tour Europe, Asia and America. The Vertavo Quartet have firmly established themselves as one of the most exciting ensembles of today. Only in their early thirties, these four friends first formed their quartet in Oslo in 1984. The Quartet first captured international attention when they won no less than four awards including the First Prize at the 2nd Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition in 1995. They went on to receive the Nordic Chamber Music Prize (1996), the Critics' Prize from the Norwegian press (1996), a nomination for the Nordic Council's Culture Award in 1998 and the Nordea prize in 2003. Collaboration with fellow musicians plays an integral role in the Vertavo Quartet's concert life, not least in their own Chamber Music Series in Gamle Logen Oslo in which they often work with such artists as Barbara Hendricks, Håkan Hagegard, Malena Ernman, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Stephen Kovacevich, Leif-Ove Andsnes, Christian Lindberg, Isabelle van Keulen and Michael Collins. They are also Artistic Directors of the Elverum Summer Music Festival in Norway. Their special affinity for contemporary music has led them to give commanding performances of works by Ligeti, Adès and works by contemporary Nordic composers such as Nørgård and Asheim. The Quartet have appeared in such prestigious music halls as the Konzerthaus and Philharmonie Berlin, Konserthus Stockholm, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and Wigmore Hall London. In addition to performing regularly at many Scandinavian chamber music festivals, they have appeared at the Edinburgh, Bath and Huddersfield Festivals, and Berliner Festspiele. Highlights for the Vertavo Quartet's anniversary season have included débuts at the Rheingau Musik Festival and the 2004 Aldeburgh Festival, where they will perform a Haydn/Bartok-series together with the Belcea Quartet. Celebrations continue with the Belcea Quartet in 2004/05 with octet concerts in Cologne, Bayreuth and Darmstadt, a celebratory concert in Oslo's concert hall, and an appearance on the Concertgebouw's 'Russian Series' in Amsterdam. A recording of short 19th century Russian works entitled 'Les Vendredis' (after the club to which all the composers belonged) is due out in their 20th anniversary year for SIMAX Classics, the record label that has been supportive to the quartet from the outset. During 2004/05 they are also tour in the UK appearing in Cardiff, Glasgow, Oxford, Nottingham and return to the Wigmore Hall with a new commission for voice and quartet by Julian Philips with Gerald Finley as soloist. They perform in Copenhagen, and in Stockholm as part of an extensive tour of Sweden, and in Summer 2005 they are guest artists at a residency-festival in Portugal, directed by the pianist, Stephen Kovacevich. The Vertavo Quartet's recent discography includes quartets by Nielsen, Schumann, Brahms, Grieg and Debussy, all for SIMAX Classics, as well as a recording of Mozart and Brahms clarinet quintets with Martin Fröst for BIS Records. Their recording of the Debussy and Grieg quartets received the Diapason d'Or and was highly praised by Gramophone magazine: "Captivating performances which get right to the heart of these intensely emotional works - Not to be missed." Their recording of the complete Bartók Quartets, released in November 2001, has been equally well received, with the BBC Music Magazine selecting it as “Pick of the Month” in May 2002. The Vertavo Quartet are dedicated to music education. In Norway, they are the Quartet in Residence for Hedmark County, where their concert series is supported by a strong educational element, including masterclasses, individual tuition and family concerts. Since 1995, the Vertavo Quartet have been sponsored by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines, and they receive financial support from the Norwegian Cultural Council. A few quotes from international media: - Norway's Vertavo Quartet, whose members are in their mid-thirties, proved they don't need the concessions allowed to young players. This is simply a high-quality ensemble, age apart. The group showed dedication, technical skill and, above all, great imagination…a seamless range of communal expression, from boldness and rigour to rich vibrancy and elastic phrasing. [The Strad, April 2004] - Das ist jederzeit spannendes, hochmusikalisches Schumanspiel! [Klassik heute] - These are passionate, comfortable, and lyrical readings. [...] They bring out the most intimate qualities in Brahms's chamber music, and then, in the complete accord with the music, make split-seccond contrasts and suddenly play with unabashed exuberance [American Record Guide] - The Vertavo's way of emphasising the expressive line in Bartok's string quartets is thoroughly convincing. The recordings are excellent, too: close and well-focused but with a sense of space around the instruments. Strongly recommended. [BBC Music Magazine 'Pick of the month' ] - Unfailingly expressive playing brings out fully the intensely emotional character. Not to be missed! [Gramophone]
01.09.2004 Vertavo 20th anniversary We are so happy to announce two concerts in Oslo. The first concert is in our "own" home, Gamle Logen with a "normal" Vertavo concert, but of course celebrating and playing from our new CD, Les Vendredis and having a glass of something together. This concert is Monday the 25th of October. Welcome!! The second concert is Tuesday the 26th of October, also in Oslo but at a different venue, Rockefeller. We have asked some of the artists that we have been playing with during the last twenty years and nobody refused. Right now we have this musical coctail: The Real Group, Brazz Brothers, Thomas von Brömssen,Anne Grete Preus, Herborg Kråkevik, Maj Britt Andersen, Bukkene Bruse og Kröyt. Welcome to have a nice party with lots of music at this mini Vertavofestival!!!
15.08.2003 NORDEA PRICE TO VERTAVO We are happy to announce that the Nordea bank is supporting the culture! At the Oslo Chamber Music Festival Vertavo got the new brand new price for its hard work during nearly twenty years.
01.05.2002 Facing up to Bartók, Pick of the month!!!! The Vertavo's way of emphasising the expressive line in Bartók's string quartets is thoroughly convincing, says Stephen Johnson from BBC Music Magazine. Read about the album here
04.03.2002 Norwegian Quartet disarming the audience!! Review from Stockholm Konserthus, Grünewaldsalen Read the story here
04.03.2002 Engaged playing by The Vertavo's Review from Stockholm Konserthus, Grünewaldsalen. More to read here
01.12.2001 FEARLESS ENTRANCE TO THE UNIVERSE OF BARTÓK This is an referance recording that will be used for ages ahead, says Hjalmar Atle Kjelsvik in the newspaper, Vårt Land Read it here
28.11.2001 Vertavo´s complete Bartok The Vertavo has now released their latest CD with the six quartets of Bela Bartok on the Simax Classics (PSC 1197) label. The recording has already brought the quartet a number of outstanding reviews in Norwegian newspapers, and is hailed as a milestone in the Vertavo´s career and artistic work. Stale Wikshaland in Dagbladet acclaims the recording to be - first class and in its own right to be compared with the recordings of the Hagen and Végh quartets. Idar Karevold in Aftenposten says - the recording proves the Vertavo to be in the international elite of quartets -, and Hjalmar Atle Kjelsvik in Vart Land is - totally conquered by the recording, giving him everything one can wish of a Bartok interpretation. Without compromises, totally fearless, and with great courage the Vertavo projects the music´s own power and qualities. A recording to be remembered for years to come. We look forward to see the reactions of the international press! Read about the album and it's reviews here
23.10.2001 Vertavo's Diapason d'or The French music magazine, Le Diapason, honours the Vertavo's recording of the Grieg and Debussy quartets (Simax, PSC 1201) with the Diapason d'or of October 2001. The record has recently been launched in France, and it is exciting to know that the country's music press spontaneously responds to the Vertavo spirit. We are thrilled! Read more about the album and other reviews
10.05.2001 Norwegian Council for Cultural Affairs For the third year on a row, the Vertavo String Quartet is awarded a grant from the Norwegian Council for Cultural Affairs. The Grant is given to an exclusive selection of ensembles on the highest professional level.
04.04.2001 Vertavo success in Japan The Vertavo String Quartet had their Japan/Tokyo debut on March 28th. With a program consisting of Mozart KV 589, Wolf’s Italian Serenade, Piazzolla’s Four, for Tango and Grieg’s g-minor quartet, the audience of the beautiful Toppan Hall gave the Vertavo an enthusiastic and warm welcome. The debut was a part of a weeklong program including a concert at the Akasaka Palace for the Emperor and Empress of Japan and the King and Queen of Norway. The Vertavo also gave several interviews to Japanese music press, had two In-store events at Tokyo’s largest record shops and participated at a concert reception in the Norwegian Ambassador’s residence hosted by Vertavo’s sponsor Wallenius Wilhelmsen ‘s Asian headquarter. On April 1st, the Vertavo played an all-Nordic program at the Musashino Cultural Center, again to great acclaim of the Tokyo audience. During the week the Vertavo signed a contract with Pro Arte Musicae for the representation of Vertavo in Japan, and we are pleased to announce that the Vertavo will return to Japan for a 10-concert tour during the autumn of 2002.
01.03.2001 WALLENIUS WILHELMSEN'S OPUS 6 Signaling a longevity not often seen in cultural sponsorships, Wallenius Wilhelmsen has extended its agreement to sponsor the Vertavo String Quartet for a sixth year. It all began in 1995 when four young women, who had been winning high marks for their music in their native Norway, qualified to enter the International Chamber Music Competition in Melbourne, Australia. The problem was getting there, and staying long enough to compete through all the rounds. Enter Wilhelmsen Lines, one of the two Scandinavian shipping companies that created Wallenius Wilhelmsen in 1999. Vertavo won the 1995 competition and two other prizes. A successful partnership was born, and prevailed on after the creation of Wallenius Wilhelmsen. Four CDs later, Vertavo and Wallenius Wilhelmsen continue to make beautiful music together. "At Wallenius Wilhelmsen we feel very strongly about recognizing true talent and encouraging it to grow and develop," commented Christian Hille, who has been managing the Vertavo sponsorship on behalf of Wallenius Wilhelmsen since the beginning. "No parent could be prouder than we are of Vertavo's accomplishments." Wallenius Wilhelmsen is the world's largest provider of vehicle and RoRo transportation and logistics management services. Wallenius Wilhelmsen combines deep sea and short sea shipping with inland logistics activities such as vehicle processing, terminal management, stevedoring, storage and inland distribution. It is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, Stockholm, Sweden and London, UK and has major regional headquarters in Europe, Asia, the Americas and Oceania. More about Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines
20.09.2000 Gramophone, November 2000 issue reviews the Vertavo's Grieg and Debus "Captivating performances which get right to the heart of these intensely emotional works! " Read the review here!
14.08.2000 Vertavo at Gotland Chamber Music Festival The Vertavo String Quartet was among the main attractions at The Gotland Chamber Music Festival last week together with top artists like Barbara Hendricks and the jazz trio of Esbjørn Svensson. For Vertavo this was the 8th year they have participated in the Festival, and as a main attraction, they participated in a total of 6 concerts during the week. One of the main reasons for the festival attracting some of Sweden's best performers is the fact that they are invited to bring family and friends to the Festival at it's expense: thus building up friendship between not only the artists but their families as well. Why is Vertavo repeatedly invited to this festival? To quote artistic director and pianist Mr. Staffan Scheja: "Vertavo is without doubt one of the best String Quartets in the world, and they are additionally an extremely positive group to work with; always willing to participate in new experiments and constellations during the festival. We wish them welcome back next year to continue making the Festival a Swedish-Norwegian event". (Christian Hille on Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines intranet)
01.08.2000 Brilliant review for the release of Grieg / Debussy quartets Vertavo's latest CD release of the quartets by Grieg and Debussy (SIMAX PSC1201) has been well received by Norwegian and Scandinavian press. Internationally, Joanne Talbot in The Strad now breaks the silence with a brilliant review in the issue of august 2000. Read the review here!
14.04.2000 Wigmore Hall, London After the five concert "Tribute to Robert Simpson" in Wigmore Hall, featuring quartets as The Lindsays, Vanbrugh, Chilingirian, Vertavo and Vellinger, Martin Anderson in the The Independent writes: "... But the garlands must go to the Vertavo Quartet, an all-female ensemble from Norway. They threw themselves at the Bartók Fourth Quartet, taking its ferocious difficulties in their stride with a raw, primal force that immediately raised the hairs on the neck. The hall was crisp with expectation by the time they returned for Simpson’s Seventh, a slow-fast-slow arch-shape, its central outburst welling out of the contemplation of vast forces. The Vertavos gave it the most sheerly passionate performance of any Simpson work I have heard: it was nothing less than thrilling." Read more reviews here!
07.03.2000 New film is featuring the Vertavo! The Swedish film director Kerstin Eriksdotter has made an 11-minutes film named "Vertavo". The film was recently premiered at the Gothenburg Film Festival, and will later this year be broadcasted on Norwegian Television. The Quartet has a leading role in the film, and performes music from their earlier record, Brahms quartet in c-minor, opus 51. See the film here!