Jaap ter Linden (Cello, Viola da gamba, Conductor)

Born: April 10, 1947 - Rotterdam, the Netherlands

The Dutch cellist, viola da gamba (viol) player and conductor. Jaap ter Linden, showed talent early on and enrolled at The Hague's Royal Conservatory to study cello. There he advanced quickly and also began playing the viola da gamba, an instrument associated with Renaissance-era and Baroque music. This branching out in music also extended into other academic areas, as ter Linden turned to the study of psychology, a field, however, that would ultimately not divert him from his musical pursuits.

In the latter quarter of the 20^th century, Jaap ter Linden became recognized as one of the leading musicians associated with Baroque music. As one of the first early music specialists, he witnessed the very beginnings of many of the oldest and finest Baroque ensembles In 1966, together with Ton Koopman, he co-founded the well-known Musica da Camera ensemble, a quartet devoted to the performance of Baroque repertoire. Thirteen years later he and Ton Koopman again united to found a major ensemble, the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, a group in which ter Linden would serve as first cellist. In the 13-year period in between, the ever-active ter Linden had become a member of the Musica Antiqua Köln and The English Concert.

From these auspicious beginnings, he moved further into the spotlight, either playing solo concerts and intimate ensemble repertoire with the world's finest interpreters or at the helm of an orchestra as conductor. In 2000 he founded the Mozart Akademie in Amsterdam, an orchestra specialising in the classical repertoire, whom he conducts. He has been guest-conductor of period instrument orchestras such Amsterdam Bach Soloists, Portland Baroque Orchestra, European Union Baroque Orchestra, and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (San Francisco). He has lent his expertise also to modern ensembles such as the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Beethoven Academie and Arnhem Symphony Orchestra. He is a regular guest director and soloist with the Arion Baroque Orchestra (Canada).

In the 21^st century Jaap ter Linden remained active in both the concert hall and recording studio as a cellist, gambist, and conductor. He was Artist in Residence at the Bodenseefestival, Germany, where he conducted concerts with violinist Daniel Hope, Concerto Köln and the Letland State Choir and appeared in recitals with Midori Seiler, violin, and Jos van Immerseel, fortepiano. He performs chamber music with pianist Ronald Brautigam, violinists Elizabeth Wallfisch, Andrew Manze and John Holloway and harpsichordists Richard Egarr, Gary Cooper and Lars Ulrik Mortensen. Most recently, he has dived into the world of opera, conducting Purcelli's King Arthur with the Städtische Bühne Münster and Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Iphigénie en Aulide with the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. In other recent projects, ter Linden collaborated with the Arion Baroque Orchestra (Montreal), Tafelmusik (Toronto), Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, and as gamba soloist with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. The 2011-2012 season includes new projects with the Arion Baroque Orchestra and the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra and a return to Portland Baroque Orchestra.

Jaap ter Linden’s extensive discography as player and conductor boasts many award-winning recordings for labels such as Harmonia Mundi, Archiv, ECM, Deutsche Grammophon and more recently Brilliant Classics. During his nearly 20-year career with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra (1979-1998) his recording activity grew sharply. With this ensemble he recorded much J.S. Bach, including the Brandenburg Concertos (BWV 1046-1051) and numerous cantatas. With the Mozart Akademie he has recorded the complete W.A. Mozart symphonies But ter Linden also appeared in chamber music recordings that featured a variety of works: sonatas by George Frideric Handel, with Ton Koopman and Marion Verbruggen, for Harmonia Mundi; sonatas and trio sonatas by Dietrich Buxtehude for Dacapo, where ter Linden played the viola da gamba; and even the popular 20^th century piece Bachiana Brasileira No. 5 by Heitor Villa-Lobos, for Decca. He has recorded J.S. Bach's suites for solo cello twice (1996 and 2006). With Richard Egarr he has recorded J.S. Bach's sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord, and with Richard Egarr and Manze, J.S. Bach's violin sonatas. With Lars Ulrik Mortensen and John Holloway he has recorded D. Buxtehude's complete chamber music, and with Ton Koopman, Pieter Hellendaal's cello sonatas. Among his recent recordings Sonatas by Geminiani and Antonio Vivaldi for Brilliant Classics.

Jaap ter Linden teaches at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, at the Amsterdam Conservatory and at the Hochschule für Alte Musik in Würzburg.

Source: Moens Artists Website (2011); Wikipedia Website (November 2012); All Music Guide Website (Author: Robert Cummings)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (December 2012)

Jaap ter Linden: Short Biography | Recordings of Instrumental Works

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Philippe Herreweghe

Violoncello, Viola da gamba

Member of La Chapelle Royale:
V-6 (1984): BWV 244 [1^st]

Ton Koopman

Violoncello, Viola da gamba

Member of Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra:
Cantatas Vol. 1: BWV 4, BWV 4: Appendix, BWV 21, BWV 21: Appendix, BWV 31BWV 71, BWV 106, BWV 131, BWV 150, BWV 185, BWV 196
Cantatas Vol. 2: BWV 12, BWV 18, BWV 18: Appendix, BWV 61, BWV 132, BWV 152, BWV 172, BWV 182, BWV 182: Appendix, BWV 199, BWV 203, BWV 524
Cantatas Vol. 3: BWV 22, BWV 23, BWV 54, BWV 63, BWV 63: Appendix, BWV 155, BWV 161, BWV 162, BWV 162: Appendix, BWV 163, BWV 165, BWV 208
Cantatas Vol. 4: BWV 198, BWV 201, BWV 204, BWV 209, BWV 211, BWV 214, BWV 215
Cantatas Vol. 5: BWV 202, BWV 205, BWV 206, BWV 207a, BWV 210, BWV 212, BWV 213
Cantatas Vol. 6: BWV 50, BWV 50: Appendix, BWV 59, BWV 69, BWV 69a, BWV 75, BWV 76, BWV 104, BWV 179, BWV 186, BWV 190
Cantatas Vol. 7: BWV 24, BWV 25, BWV 67, BWV 95, BWV 105, BWV 136, BWV 144, BWV 147, BWV 148, BWV 173, BWV 181, BWV 181: Appendix, BWV 184
Cantatas Vol. 8: BWV 40, BWV 46, BWV 60, BWV 64, BWV 65, BWV 77, BWV 81, BWV 83, BWV 89, BWV 89a: Appendix, BWV 90, BWV 109, BWV 167
Cantatas Vol. 9: BWV 37, BWV 48, BWV 66, BWV 70, BWV 86, BWV 138, BWV 153, BWV 154, BWV 166, BWV 173a, BWV 194
[V-2] (1994): BWV 232 [1^st recording]
V-3 (1998): BWV 243, BWV 249
Selections from Sacred Songs BWV 439-507 [1^st, w/ tenor Peter Schreier]
Selections from Sacred Songs BWV 439-507 [2^nd, w/ tenor Christoph Prégardien & bass Klaus Mertens]

Links to other Sites

Jaap ter Linden (Moens Artists)
Jaap ter Linden (Wikipedia)
Jaap ter Linden - Biography (AMG)