The Norwegian cellist will give his first performance on the 1727 instrument in Norway on 21 May
Norwegian cellist Truls Mørk has been loaned the 1727 ‘Iwasaki’ Stradivari cello. He will give his first performance in Norway on the instrument at Oslo Concert Hall on 21 May, when he will perform Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Klaus Mäkelä. The concert will also mark Mäkelä’s final appearance as the orchestra’s chief conductor.
Speaking about the loan, Mørk said he was ‘immensely happy and deeply grateful’ to be playing on the ‘Iwasaki’. ‘The cello possesses a wonderfully warm and rich tone, which is inspiring to explore,’ he added. ‘Its clear, pure sound shines with beautiful overtones throughout the entire register, from the deepest notes to the very highest The cello’s response when drawing the bow across the strings is immediate and lightning-fast – like a racing car!’
Named after the Japanese cellist and pedagogue Ko Iwasaki, the ‘Iwasaki’ was made on the shorter Stradivari cello model, with a back length of 721mm. Previous owners include the Romanian conductor and cellist Emil Klein. It is the most recent Stradivari instrument to have been acquired by the Anders Sveaas Charitable Foundation, which now counts eleven Stradivaris among its collection. The foundation loans instruments to Norwegian and Nordic musicians as part of its work supporting public and charitable causes, from providing scholarships to funding festivals and concert series.
The Strad will feature some of the finest instruments of the Anders Sveaas Charitable Foundation in The Strad Calendar 2027, which will be on sale from September 2026. The foundation and its work will also be featured in the October issue of The Strad.
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