Nordic Spell - Concertos for Flute and Orchestra

"Tómasson's concerto is a joy to listen to, as is the entire disc."
(Gramophone)

Sharon Bezaly was chosen as 'Instrumentalist of the Year' by the prestigious Klassik Echo in Germany in 2002, and in 2003 received the Cannes Classical Award as 'Young Artist of the Year'. She has an exclusive contract with with BIS Records, which affords her the opportunity to record the most exciting pieces of the flute literature, on discs that have received the highest acclaim.

Her perfect control of circular breathing (taught by Aurèle Nicolet) liberates Sharon Bezaly from the limitations of the flute as a wind instrument, enabling her to reach new peaks of musical interpretation, presenting an extended spectrum of colours and emotions. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has even compared her to David Oistrakh and Vladimir Horowitz.

Sharon Bezaly started to play the flute at the age of 11 and gave her début concert as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta when she was 14. On the advice of Jean-Pierre Rampal she continued her studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris under Alain Marion, Raymond Guiot and Maurice Bourgue, winning the Academy's first prizes for flute and chamber music. She was subsequently invited by Sándor Végh to play as principal flautist in his Camerata Academica Salzburg, a position she held until the maestro's death in 1997. Since then Sharon Bezaly has devoted herself to a solo career.
As a soloist, she performs with orchestras all over the world including the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the National Orchestra of Belgium, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, China National Symphony Orchestra, SWR Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Academica Salzburg and Munich Chamber Orchestra, appearing in prestigious venues such as the Musikverein in Vienna, Châtelet in Paris, Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, Cologne Philharmonie, the Rudolfinum in Prague and the Suntory Hall Tokyo. As a chamber musician she appears alongside such musicians as Gidon Kremer and the Bartók Quartet.

Sharon Bezaly has inspired renowned composers to write for her. As of 2005, seven concertos have already been dedicated to her, by composers such as Sofia Gubaidulina, Kalevi Aho, Sally Beamish and Zhou Long. Six more are being composed. Sharon Bezaly plays on a 24-carat gold flute, especially built for her by the Muramatsu team, Japan and also plays alto and bass flutes, especially built for her, along with piccolo. She currently resides in Sweden.