Swedish violinist Christian Svarfvar has emerged as one of Scandinavia’s most sought-after concert violinists.
A rising star on the classical music scene, Svarfvar is quickly gaining acclamation for his thoughtful, fearless and expressive performances.
Christian is equally at home as a soloist with orchestra as with giving recitals. His creative and exciting approach to concert programming, paired with the passion and energy he brings to musical interaction, marks Svarfvar as one of the most captivating voices of his generation.
In 2008, Christian Svarfvar was appointed “rising star” by European Concert Hall Organization (ECHO) which led to an extensive recital tour including many of the most important concert halls in Europe. Subsequently, he made his New York recital debut with a sold-out concert at the Carnegie Hall in the series of Distinctive Debuts.
In recent past, Svarfvar has appeared as a soloist with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, Simon Bolivar Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Norrköping Symphony, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony, to name a few. As a recitalist, Svarfvar is a regular performer at the significant festivals in Scandinavia and has performed as a soloist in halls such as Concertgebouw, Cité de la musique, Musikverein, Palais de beaux arts, Tchaikovsky Hall, Carnegie Hall, Birmingham Symphony, Luxembourg Philharmonie, Kölner Philharmonie, Gothenburg Concert Hall, Berwaldhallen, Stockholm, Stockholm Concert Hall, Stavanger Concert Hall, Megaron, Athen and Seoul Art Center.
Christian´s debut album, “Grieg Violin Sonatas” was released on Sterling Records and was greatly praised by the international press. Andrew Clark, Chief Critic of The Financial Times wrote: “buoyed by Svarfvar’s fearless expression, rock-solid technique, stylistic acumen, Christian did us and Grieg a big favour and we must hear more from him”
Since then, Svarfvar has recorded several CD´s for BIS records, whereof the latest recording “Aprés un reve” includes music by Fauré, Ravel, and Debussy together with pianist Roland Pöntinen. The Album was blessed by Magazines e.g The Strad magazine, BBC Music Magazine, Fanfare Magazine etc. The Strad described it as “Breathtaking performances” and called it “An outstanding release”
Christian´s release with Bruch Violin Concerto and Rubicon Classics is his first orchestral recording.
Conductors with whom Christian has worked include Vassily Sinaisky, Hannu Lintu, Lawrence Renes, Jorma Panula, Brett Dean,
Douglas Boyd, Christopher Warren-Green, Joana Carneiro and Eugene Tzigane, to name a few.
As a chamber musician, Svarfvar has performed with such admired musicians as Janine Jansen, Julian Rachlin, Clemens Hagen, Tabea Zimmerman, Martin Fröst, Frans Helmersson, Maxim Rysanov and Boris Brovtsyn.
Apart from the established concert repertoire, Svarfvar also has a unique expertise in the contemporary music field and his close collaboration with composers includes such esteemed names as Howard Shore, Steve Reich, Kaija Saariaho, Anders Eliasson, Jesper Nordin, Chaya Czernowin, David Felder, Anders Hillborg, Bent Sorensen and many others.
In 2007, Christian premiered Howard Shores violin concerto Eastern Promises conducted by Howard Shore and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic.
Born in 1982 in Sweden, Svarfvar began playing the violin at the age of four. From age five, he studied with the Suzuki Method, later continuing his studies for his father, Sven-Ole Svarfvar, moreover a respected Scandinavian violinist and teacher.
After graduating from high school Svarfvar pursued his studies at Stockholm Royal College of Music. During his studies in Stockholm, he performed numerous concerts, eg. Sibelius violin concerto with the Stockholm Royal Academy Orchestra, conducted by Jorma Panula. He also made his debut with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, with a jubilant performance of Carl Nielsen violin concerto under the baton of Hannu Lintu.
Upon graduation from Stockholm, Christian moved to New York to continue his violin studies with Robert Mann at the Juilliard School where he graduated with top honors in 2005.
Svarfvar plays on a Stradivarius violin crafted in Cremona, 1709, and a Peter Westerlund, 2015. His bows are made by Vuillaume, Voirin, Hill and Noel Burke.
In 2016 Christian was awarded the Stockholm Culture Award.
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