Son of a cellist father (who gave his first lessons) and pianist mother, Truls Mørk went in his late teens to the Edsberg Institute of Music in Stockholm to study with Frans Helmerson. Helmerson was frequently absent on concert tours and Mørk remembers this period as one of intense practice and discussion about music with fellow students between cello lessons spread weeks apart. He later took lessons from Heinrich Schiff, but having always been fascinated by the Russian school of cello playing—epitomised by the vibrantly colourful performances of Rostropovich—went to Moscow to learn from Rostropovich pupil Natalia Shakhovskaya.

As well as a certain commitment to teaching, chamber music features significantly in Mørk’s portfolio; he makes regular ...