"The Adagio slow movement is here particularly expansive, and with a bouquet to Christian Stene for his shapely and sensitive clarinet solo that heralds a serene unfolding of confiding expression, the sun-going-down coda made especially poignant."
Colin Anderson - The Classical Source
"The Bergen clarinettist, Christian Stene, invests the memorable solo in the Adagio with wistful poetry. Memories of Jack Brymer (on the Previn recording) may not be banished entirely but Stene is very eloquent."
Dan Morgan - MusicWeb International
"There was a modicum of relaxation in the Adagio, its confessional spirit and Christian Stene’s mellifluous clarinet achingly beautiful in the closing pages."
David Truslove - The Classical Source
"…special praise to first clarinet player Christian Stene…"
Peter J. Rabinowitz - Fanfare
"…cool first clarinet..."
David Gutman - Gramaphone
Christian Stene is an Associate Professor of Clarinet and researcher at the Grieg Academy, University of Bergen in Norway. He serves as Norway's Chairperson for the International Clarinet Association and is a Buffet Crampon and Vandoren artist. Christian was previously the principal clarinetist of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (2010 to 2022) and the Norwegian National Opera Orchestra (2007 to 2010).
As a researcher, Christian explores how the affordances of modern musical instruments influence phrasing. His artistic research project “(Re)Phrasing—Shaping Music with Modern Instruments” expands on the phrasing challenges modern instrumentalists face.
Christian has held masterclasses on six continents at leading music institutions in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Spain, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, and the United States.
As a multiple award-winning soloist, he regularly appears as a guest principal clarinetist with various orchestras across the Nordic countries, Europe, Asia, and Australia, including the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. His recordings are available as a soloist on LAWO, as a chamber musician on Classico and LAWO, and in orchestral works on Naïve, Chandos, BIS, Hyperion, Ondine, Aurora, and LAWO.