EarlyMusicNews.Org

"Ensemble Vermillian was founded to explore the potential for color and texture possible in transcribing the virtuosic repertoire of the seventeenth and eighteenth century for recorder, cello and continuo. Based in Davidson, North Carolina, and Berkeley, California the members of EV, sisters Frances Blaker (recorders) and Barbara Blaker Krumdieck (Baroque cello) joined by Katherine Heater (harpsichordist and organist) have traveled to meet, research, rehearse and perform together since 2000. The ensemble is expanded to include other musicians depending on the project at hand. Viola da gambist Elisabeth Reed joined Ensemble Vermillian for the two-CD Stolen Jewels project. Having studied at conservatories in Denmark, the Netherlands, Ohio and Indiana, the performers blend their approach to the music to create a sound which inspired one audience member to write, “A beautiful performance. The chemistry between you is special.”

EV explores less-familiar repertoire from the 17th and 18th centuries and makes it their own through transcription for their particular instruments. The very special group chemistry that these players create together makes for compelling performances, both for the audience and the performers. The combination of music research and vibrant performance are what make Ensemble Vermillian stand out from the crowd. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 23, 2008 | Hits: 656

"Since their acclaimed debut in 1992, Sirinu have established a reputation at the cutting edge of Early and World music performance. Their first national tour was the most successful in the history of the Early Music Network and they have since undertaken extensive tours all over Europe, as well as British Council tours in Turkey, Egypt and South America. Sirinu have a particular interest in rural South American music and have performed at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall as guests of the Bolivian group Rumillajta.

Sirinu’s innovative programmes offer musical journeys through some of the world’s great cultural melting-pots, with themes including the Spanish invasion of South America, the epic voyage around the world of the Tudor adventurer Francis Drake and the Mexican Day of the Dead. Combining a staggering array of instruments with elements of theatre, ritual and dance, their extrovert performances and meticulous research have won critical acclaim and rapturous receptions from audiences around the world.

The four members of Sirinu – Sara Stowe (soprano/keyboards), Henry Stobart (recorders/wind instruments), Matthew Spring (lutes, early plucked/hurdy-gurdy) and Jon Banks (harp, gittern, percussion) – perform not only on their principal instruments but also, depending on the programme, a great number of less orthodox European and ethnic instruments. As imaginative and natural communicators their performances guarantee a freshness and variety of approach in which they capture the excitement of the most concentrated formative periods of musical history. " Visit website for more information;

Added on: Mar 14, 2008 | Hits: 361

" The vocal group „Schola Cantorum Riga” was founded in 1995 as a unique ensemble focused on authentic interpretation of ancient music, especially Gregorian chants. It has developed into a group with a varied and wide repertory. One of its main professional goals is to perform music at a high artistic and professional level, which is reflected in great many concerts in Latvia and abroad, as well as in regular recordings. Nowadays „Schola Cantorum Riga” mainly performs medieval music, but also turns to interpretation of compositions of contemporary Latvian composers.

The singers of the group are professional musicians or music students who all have one thing in common – their passion for ancient music and desire to perform it following the latest trends in the field of authentic interpretation of ancient music. There is a special interest in performing the Gregorian chants and other medieval music. The group performs a Gregorian choral building it on interpretation references of Neumatic Notations, as well as the latest research in the field of semiology. The programs are mostly performed by male singers. For specific projects the membership of the group is enlarged and female singers are invited to join in to perform compositions for a mixed group of singers. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 14, 2008 | Hits: 279

"The Rose Consort of Viols takes its name from the celebrated family of viol makers, whose work spanned the growth and flowering of the English consort repertoire. With its unique blend of intimacy, intricacy, passion and flamboyance, this music ranges from Taverner and Byrd, to Lawes, Locke and Purcell, forming the basis of the Rose Consort's programmes, which may also include singers, lutes and keyboard instruments. The Rose Consort has received awards for its research and performance of newly devised programmes, some of which have been toured on the Early Music Network, and has also commissioned and performed new pieces for voices and viols by Malcolm Bruno, Elizabeth Liddle and Ivan Moody. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 14, 2008 | Hits: 396

"Phantasm was founded in 1994 by Laurence Dreyfus, who dreamed of forming a viol consort embodying the highest artistic standards. Inspired by the great twentieth-century string quartets, Phantasm have championed a bold and passionate style of consort playing which does full justice to its magnificent repertoire.

The international members of the quartet (from Britain, Finland and the US) all trained on modern instruments, but were drawn to the viol consort because of the dazzling sonority of the ensemble and the independence of lines cultivated by the complex polyphony. Specialising in music from the 16th to the 18th centuries, the quartet have been applauded across the globe for their moving performances, which embrace the eloquent fantasies of Byrd and Gibbons, the magical works of Lawes and Purcell, even new arrangements of Bach and Mozart. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 14, 2008 | Hits: 294

"Formed in 2002, Pantagruel have been delighting audiences across Europe with their semi-staged performances of renaissance music. Hannah Morrison's pure and sweet voyce combined with citterns, gitterns, lutes and flutes played by Dominik Schneider & Mark Wheeler bring to life the passionate music of a distant age.

Pantagruel, the hero of Francois Rabelais’s 1532 Novel, with his motto „do what thou wilt“ is the fitting name for an ensemble that is not afraid to explore innovative ideas of performance and presentation. Combining painstaking musicological research with their experience in classical music, rock music, jazz, theatre and dance, their performances expand classical concert conventions by using renaissance practices of medley, improvisation and gesture " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 14, 2008 | Hits: 338

"Obsidienne, a vocal and instrumental ensemble conducted by Emmanuel Bonnardot, wishes to keep the medieval and renaissance repertoire alive in a simple, natural way, thus reconciling the art of performing and that of improvising music.

In a happy relation to poetry, theater and dance, often approaching contemporary, traditional or song repertoires, the ensemble keeps researching into forgotten or neglected works, and endeavouring to reconstruct the medieval instrumentarium, inspired in its work by the paintings of the Middle Ages’ greatest masters.

Obsidienne sometimes splits into smaller groups, allowing more specialized, more intimate and more personal work. At its full strength, with up to 16 musicians, the ensemble offers a powerful sound, in which soloists and choir alternate, a must in interpreting the great medieval repertoire. Obsidienne owe their longevity to their versatility and to the variety of their performances, which enabled them to reach exceptional musical quality. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 410

"Beguiling and intelligent, provocative and classic, ravishingly beautiful and deliciously edgy – The Newberry Consort has been delighting audiences for nearly three decades. Directed by David Douglass, Newberry Musician-in-Residence, and early music diva Ellen Hargis, the ensemble plumbs the Newberry Library's vast music collection and assembles a star-studded roster of local and international artists to bring you world-class performances of music from the 13th to the 18th centuries…and occasionally beyond!

Affiliated with the Newberry Library Center for Renaissance Studies, the Consort also serves as an ensemble-in-residence at both the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. In addition to an annual concert series in Chicago, the Consort has an active touring schedule. This season, traveling to several cities across the US, the Consort will offer two popular programs: Beautiful Dreamer: Music of Lincoln's America and Fair Oriana: an Early Film with Early Music, featuring an Elizabethan score to accompany Sarah Bernhardt's 1912 silent film Elizabeth I."

Visit website form more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 406

Musica Fiata was founded in 1976 as an ensemble specializing in the performance of 16th and 17th century music o­n historical instruments.

An intensive study of performance-practice sources, playing techniques and original instruments of the period has enabled the group to develop a speech-based musical style and a distinctive sound which lends a transparency to the most dense textures.

Musica Fiata's exciting, virtuosic performances have resulted in invitations to leading festivals such as Ravenna, Innsbruck, Flanders, Utrecht, Brügge, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Venice, Herne, Berlin, York, Ansbach, Graz, Breslau, Malmo and Israel as well as radio and television recordings throughout Europe. Musica Fiata has recorded 30 CD's to date for Sony Classical, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi and CPO. "

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 456

"Musica Antiqua of London is one of the foremost early music groups in the UK today. Playing renaissance instruments including viols, recorders, lute, guitar, harp, crumhorns, rebecs, shawms and sackbut, their performing history includes tours on the Early Music Network, the London concert halls, festivals throughout Britain and Europe, and appearances on national radio and television.

Often joined by leading guest artists for larger programmes, Musica Antiqua of London's virtuosity and versatility has won critical acclaim in the music press. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 463

"Les Muffatti came into being to satisfy the need felt by several young Brussels musicians — with an eye to performing Baroque orchestral repertoire — to establish a professional working environment where the basic pleasure of music-making, the refinement of skills, and the investigation of content could be equably combined. Their enthusiasm, application and idealism resonated with Baroque specialist Peter van Heyghen, who joined the ensemble as permanent coach and conductor. They presented their debut concert in Brussels in 2004, and have since performed in Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy and Portugal. They have appeared numerous times in the Concertgebouw in Bruges, at the Musica Sacra festival in Maastricht, and at the renowned Early Music festivals in Bruges and Utrecht. Between 2007 and 2009 they will be one of the ensembles in residence at the Augustinus Music Centre in Antwerpen.

The ensemble's name refers to the cosmopolitan composer Georg Muffat (1653-1704), a key figure in the orchestra's history, and one of the first writers to describe in detail the great stylistic differences between French and Italian Baroque music. Les Muffatti's first recording was devoted to the works of this composer. "

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 465

“LA  MAURACHE is a vocal and instrumental ensemble composed of  musicians specialized in the interpretation of the music during Middle-Ages and the Renaissance. Since 1978, when the group was created by Julien Skowron, La Maurache has never stopped performing in France and all around the world (3 tours in States for Ray Weiss), and has enabled people to discover and share the riches of this large repertoire by make it popular. Research, restoration, and historical respect, but also Lively Performance and creativity are the guidelines of  La Maurache in concerts and recording. The musicians of La Maurache perform in medieval style costumes. Their instruments (there are about thirty of them), are accurate reproductions made by specialized instrument-makers after modes and historical documents of traditional instruments. La Maurache can be seen as a court music ensemble (voices, lutes, fiddles, viols, spinet...) enriched with popular elements ("natural voices", high wind instruments, drums...).“

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 402

"It’s not an ensemble of harps, but rather the combination of one early harp with singers, lutes, baroque guitars, viols, violins, early flutes, shawms, bagpipes and percussion: anything from a medieval trio to a baroque orchestra.

Our repertoire contrasts folk dances and the highest art music; medieval song, renaissance consorts and baroque operas. Rhythm, dance and improvisation are to the fore.

And, by the way, we don't just play dance-music. Guitarist Steven Player brings historical dance-steps to life with rhythmic footwork and improvised choreographies. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 314

"Like so many of the best things in life, the birth of Gothic Voices came about almost by accident. Back in 1980 Christopher Page was asked by the BBC to put together a programme of plainchant by the 12th century Abbess Hildegard of Bingen. Record producer Ted Perry tuned in to that broadcast and it so impressed him that he set up what was to become one of the best-selling recordings of pre-classical music ever made: A Feather on the Breath of God — Hymns and Sequences by Abbess Hildegard of Bingen. Since that time, Gothic Voices has recorded a further twenty CDs on the Hyperion label, three of which have won the coveted Gramophone Magazine Award. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 425

"Gaïta is a group based in Edinburgh dedicated to Medieval Music. They are performers of medieval music and early dance, produce books of medieval music, and design and build medieval instruments. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 418

"The Gabrieli Consort & Players were founded by Paul McCreesh in 1982 and have just celebrated their 25th anniversary season. Initially recognised for their mould-breaking reconstructions of music for historical occasions, they have gone on to captivate audiences worldwide with their bold readings of the masterworks of the baroque and renaissance. They are regularly heard at major festivals and concert halls throughout Europe and the USA. In partnership with Martin Randall Music Management, they have pioneered new areas of 'cultural tourism' in creating festivals of music in historic centres, including Venice, Rome, Naples, Leipzig, and northern Spain. September 2007 saw the ensemble's largest residency to date as part of the Wratislavia Cantans Festival in Wrocław, Poland, where Paul McCreesh became Artistic Director in 2006. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 432

"The Freiburger Spielleyt is one the pre-eminent ensembles for early music. Many concerts in the field of sacred as well as secular music, broadcast, TV and CD-recordings made the ensemble famous. The group is known for their joy of music in connection with a conscious interpretation of historical sources, and: “… they have an excellent soprano amongst them. Regina Kabis has a wonderful and clear timbre which sounds as if it were just made for early music. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 333

"From its home in Birmingham, Ex Cathedra has established an international reputation as a leading UK choir and Early Music ensemble. Under founder and Artistic Director, Jeffrey Skidmore, Ex Cathedra is known for its vibrant performances and a passion for seeking out not only the best but the unfamiliar and the unexpected in the choral repertoire. Since its formation in 1969, Ex Cathedra has grown into a unique musical resource, comprising specialist choir, vocal consort of ten voices, period-instrument orchestra and thriving education programme.

Recent years have seen a major increase in Ex Cathedra’s national and international reputation thanks to its trail-blazing performances of Early Music – in particular the French and Latin American Baroque – and its role as a leading exponent of choral training and vocal skills education. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 451

"Europa Galante has performed in many of the world's major concert halls and theatres: La Scala in Milan, the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Lincoln Center in New York and the Sydney Opera House. The ensemble has toured throughout Australia, Japan, Canada, Israel, USA and South America and often collaborates with the Ente Santa Cecilia in Rome to find and restore eighteenth-century Italian operas such as Antonio Caldara's La Passione di Gesù Cristo and Leonardo Leo's Sant'Elena al Calvario. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 257

"The broad spectrum and vitality of medieval and early Renaissance music are made accessable to a wider audience. Musicians from Austria, Italy and Germany specialized in playing historical instruments make up the core of this European ensemble. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 531

"We met in the spring of 2004 in the state academy of music in Trossingen, a small town which lies in the Black Forest in the south of Germany. Four musicians from four different nationalities: Germany, France, Transylvania and Israel. We soon found that we share a common language and a common fascination with the polyphonic music of the late Middle Ages. Music that manages to express the deepest human feelings in a delicate, poetic manner, in a way that, in our belief, has not been surpassed. Through playing together we have learnt to know each other, to develop our own language and our own approach to this wonderful music which, in all of its complexity, leaves much freedom to the performer.

The use of instruments reconstructed based on medieval iconography allows us to approach the original soundscape. We attach great importance to the understanding of the musical language of the period, now having become foreign of today's classical musicians. Thus, a bit in the manner of a performer facing a contemporary work with a new language, it is a matter of decoding little by little the written page, to try to understand the essence of a piece, and to discover its meaning with our personal modern frames of mind

Santenay
The ensemble draws its name from the castle of Santenay, in Burgundy, seigniorial residence from the XIth to the XVIth century, belonging in the XIVth century to Philippe le Hardi, son of the king of France Jean le Bon and first duke of Greater Burgundy. Thus this castle constitutes for us in a way a symbol of the apogee of the culture at the Burgundian court. Today the lands of the castle of Santenay are also known for their excellent wine production."

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 403

"Ensemble "Responsorium" is closely specialised in the performance of vocal and instrumental pieces of the 16th and early 17th century. Special prominence is given to the revitalisation of Croatian baroque musical literature. The ensemble follows the principle of authentic and historically informed interpretation of early music. It has so far carried out numerous successful projects performing at the most prominent festivals: Donaufestwochen, Austria; Musical Evenings in St. Donat; Concerts in Basilica Euphrasiana; Musical evenings in Lubenice ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 314

Early music ensemble from Italy. Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 512

“The Ensemble Mikado’s present combination of soprano, viola da gamba/viella, and three recorders was formed in Vienna in the spring of 2003. Since then, the winners of the 2004 International Young Artists Presentation—Early Music (IYAP) in Antwerp have known how to enthuse both audiences and the musical press at national and international festivals. Numerous concert performances have led the ensemble to Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Poland, Italy and Belgium, to the Vienna Recorder Days, the Hörgänge in the Vienna Konzerthaus, to the ISCM World Music Days, the early music festivals in Brežice and Radovljica in Slovenia, the Festival for Early Music in Bolzano, Italy, the Wratislavia Cantans Festival in Poland, the Laus Polyphoniae in Belgium, the Aqua Musica and Oude-Muziek-Network in the Netherlands, the Trigonale Festival in Carinthia, Austria and to the Tage Alter Musik in Regensburg, among others. In the selection of its repertoire, the ensemble focuses on both the music of the end of the Middle Ages (Ars nova and Ars subtilior) and that of the English Renaissance at the time of William Shakespeare. Unusual instrumentations and unconventional arrangements arise in the ensemble’s search for new ways of interpreting early music in a modern fashion. In February 2009 the CD "Can she excuse ?" was awarded the "Pasticcio-prize" by Ö1/ORF (Austrian Cultural Broadcasting Station).“

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Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 551

"Since their foundation in 2000, the vocal-instrumental "Ensemble Inégal" has profiled as a unique group, interpreting music from Renaissance to Romanticism. Inégal - unequal - means, besides variableness of the cast, versatility in styles, dramaturgical resourcefulness and unconventional approach to searching for interpretation values. Our advantage is a refined selection of members - the best Czech and foreign singers and instrumentalists. Today, Ensemble Inégal belongs among the top musical ensembles and, since its beginning, it has roused interest among music-loving public and received many enthusiastic reviews from expert critics in Europe and the USA. Ensemble Inégal has released a number of very successful CDs. The first CD record Mass in D-major, op. 86 "Lužanská" by Antonín Dvořák was made in 2001 in the Chateau chapel in Lužany, whose consecration Dvořák composed this Mass for. In 2003, Ensemble Inégal had their world recording premiere of sacral compositions by the Czech baroque composer Jan Josef Ignác Brentner (1689-1742), who used to be one of the most successful composers in central Europe during his life, yet he was forgotten almost completely during the following centuries. We managed to bring back to life his musical works, charged with extraordinary resourcefulness, original and unmistakable style and unusual inward emotionality. Several weeks ago, Ensemble Inégal has finished the latest CD record, which is a world premiere again. The star cast recorded the oratorio Il serpente di bronzo (Bronze Snake) by one of the greatest personality of European baroque music, phenomenal composer Jan Dismas Zelenka. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 362