Dan STYFFE

Dan Styffe, born in Sweden, has had most of his professional career in Norway. After studying with Göran Nyberg, Knut Guettler and Gary Karr (he also worked as Karr's assistant in 1981-82), he made his solo debut in Oslo in 1985 and has since been very active as a soloist and chamber musician. He regularly performs at international chamber music festivals and as a soloist. He also participates in many international double bass conventions around the world such as Paris, Berlin, Wroclaw, Penn State, Odense, San Francisco, Brno, Copenhagen, Iceland, Rochester, Prague, London, Ithaca and Lucca. He has also been a jury member of international bass competitions f.e. ISB, BassEurope, Markneukirchen and Sperger.

Styffe has recorded seven critically acclaimed solo CDs on SIMAX Classics. He recently recorded with violinist Dora Schwarzberg and Øystein Birkeland for ContraClassics and a CD with music by French composer Bernard Salles for the Fabra label. Styffe has also recorded for the English label Prima Facie. New recordings are planned.

He has commissioned many new pieces and works regularly with many composers, for example Rolf Martinsson, Fredrik Högberg, Teppo Hauta-aho, Bernard Salles, Paul Ramsier, Rune Rebne, Henrik Hellstenius, Jon Øyvind Ness, Gisle Kverndokk, John Persen, Asbjørn Schaatun, Terje Viken, Ruben Sverre Gjesrtsen and Christian Lindberg and now Marcus Paus and Laurence Crane.

 

A new concerto by the Swede Christian Lindberg was premiered with the Beethoven Orchestra in Bonn in February 2018.

In April 2011, Styffe premiered and recorded on CD Rolf Martinsson’s Concerto No. 1 with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra/Saraste and later the same year he recorded Fredrik Högberg’s concerto “Strike the First Bass” with the Tromsø/Holthe Chamber Orchestra. Styffe performed the world premiere of this concerto with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Isabelle van Keulen.

After his studies, Styffe took up the position of principal bass in the Norwegian Opera Orchestra and later principal bass in the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra (under Iona Brown). He is now co-principal of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (under Mariss Jansons, André Previn and Jukka Pekka Saraste and Vasily Petrenko). Styffe was a member of the chamber ensemble Borealis.

Styffe works with many international musicians and the closest partners so far are violist Catherine Bullock, pianists Gonzalo Moreno and Ingrid Andsnes and cellist Øystein Birkeland. At the end of 2011 he recorded duets with violinist Peter Herresthal.

 

Styffe is double bass teacher at the  Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo.

Dan Styffe plays a Gasparo da Saló double bass made in Brescia, Italy around 1580. This instrument belongs to the Dextra Musica/Sparebankstiftelsen DnB NOR foundation.