Christian Svarfvar

About Christian Svarfvar

Teaching Violin and Chamber music.

Swedish violinist Christian Svarfvar is one of Scandinavia's most admired musicians, with a succession of critically acclaimed performances and recordings. His creative and exciting attitude 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.

​​Svarfvar was exposed to music from an early age since both of his parents were professional violinists. He began his violin studies with his father, Sven-Ole Svarfvar, former 1st concertmaster of the Norwegian Opera and Swedish Chamber Orchestra and, moreover, a respected teacher. Svarfvar's talents developed rapidly, and he made his debut as a soloist in Mendelssohn violin concerto with the Swedish chamber orchestra at the age of twelve.

Svarfvar came to wide national attention when he was appointed "rising star" by the European Concert Hall Organization (ECHO). The nomination led to significant solo concerts in prestigious halls such as the Musikverein, Bozar, Cité de la musique, Luxembourg Philharmonie, Kölner Philharmonie, Birmingham Symphony, Cité de la musique to name a few.

Subsequently, he made his New York recital debut with a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall in the series of Distinctive Debuts.

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Today Svarfvar Svarfvar appears as a soloist with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, Simon Bolivar Orchestra, Stockholm Sinfonietta, Stockholm Royal Opera Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Norrköping Symphony, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony, to name a few.

His playing is best defined as lyrical and fragrant, marked by a sensitive and silvery tone.

​Apart from the established concert repertoire, Svarfvar also has extensive expertise in the contemporary music field, and his close collaboration with composers include such esteemed names as Howard Shore, Kaija Saariaho, Anders Eliasson, Chaya Czernowin, Anders Hillborg, and many others.

Christian has, for instance, premiered the three-time Oscar-awarded composer Howard Shores violin concerto: Eastern Promises, conducted by Howard Shore himself and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.

As a recitalist, Svarfvar is a frequent performer at significant festivals in Scandinavia and performs as a soloist in the most prestigious 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.

 Since then, Svarfvar has recorded several CDs for BIS Records, of which the latest recording, “Après un rêve” includes music by Fauré, Ravel, and Debussy together with pianist Roland Pöntinen. The album was blessed by numerous international magazines. 

The Strad described it as “Breathtaking performances” and called it “An outstanding release". Dagens Nyheter, Swedens largest and most influential newspaper in Sweden named the album "recording of the year" (Årets bästa skiva)

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In 2018 Christian released an album including the ever-loved Max Bruch´s first Violin Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Wilhelm Stenhammar´s two romances and violin sonata conclude the disc.

The album has been praised by several magazines, such as the Suëddeutsche Zeitung, which admired Christian´s elegance, honesty, and sensual tone.

The Gramophone wrote: "His tone gleams and the way he tugs yearningly on the leading tones draws one in. Svarfvar´s playing radiates tenderness."

​Christian´s most recent release includes the J S Bach Violin Concertos recomposed by Johan Ullén - recorded in Abbey Road Studios with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The album, which immediately skyrocketed on Apple Music with more than a million streams within a month from release, has been hailed by many voices.

Conductors with whom Christian has worked include Vassily Sinaisky, Hannu Lintu, Lawrence Renes, Jorma Panula, Brett Dean, Douglas Boyd, Christopher Warren-Green, and Joana Carneiro to name a few.

As a chamber musician, Svarfvar has performed and collaborated with such admired musicians as Janine Jansen, Julian Rachlin, Clemens Hagen, Tabea Zimmerman, Martin Fröst, Frans Helmersson, Maxim Rysanov, and Boris Brovtsyn.

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While continuing his recital performances and teaching, Christian stays committed to innovative ways of expanding classical music's social and cultural impact; Christian is actively working with various artists and organizations across a multitude of genres. 

In 2023 Christian will release an album (Naxos) with music composed by Benny Andersson (ABBA) arranged for solo violin and symphony orchestra, recorded in Henry Wood Hall together with London Philharmonic Orchestra.

For more info, visit: christiansvarfvar.com/