EarlyMusicNews.Org

"Capella Savaria was founded in 1981 in Szombathely. (Savaria was the name of the town in the Roman times, hence the name). The ensemble plays Baroque and classical music relying on original documents of the given period. The basis of the ensemble is the strings and the harpsichord joined by winds when required. Their instruments either are original ones from the 18th century, or are genuine copies of the originals. The ensemble performs chamber music, orchestral pieces, operas and oratorios. Capella Savaria has made nearly 60 recordings since its foundation, five of which have won the "Record of the Year" prize. They have recorded with several labels including Hungaroton, Quintana, Harmonia Mundi, Dynamic, Naxos and Dorian Records. ... "

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Added on: Mar 29, 2008 | Hits: 371

"The Camerata Hungarica is one of the best known Hungarian ensembles in Europe and overseas. Their repertoire covers the European music of the Middle Ages through the Baroque. The ensemble is known as the best performer of the Hungarian and East and West European music of these centuries.

The Camerata Hungarica recorded secular music in Buda Castle of the 16th century the first time ever. They also made first recordings from the music of Transylvania and that of the historical Hungarian territories from the 16-18th centuries. One of these recordings, the double album of the Vietoris Manuscript, won the Grand Prix of the Paris Academy in 1975.

The ensemble performs its rich repertoire on an extremely high level of musicality and technical skills. This is based on the versatile and virtuoso treatment of the instruments.

The Camerata Hungarica has been concertizing abroad continually since the first tour to Italy in 1973. They participated in numerous early music festivals and gave concerts in a long list of countries, from Mexico to Japan, from Sweden to Sicily. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 338

“The Hungarian early music group Affetti Musicali, founded by the Hungarian musicologist János Malina in 1984, specialises in the historic performance of 17th- and 18th-century (and, in a few cases, later) vocal chamber music, both sacred and secular. Cantatas, duets, solo motets etc. alternate in their programs with contemporary sonatas and trio sonatas. The repertoire of the ensemble is extremely rich and exciting: they often unearth and perform virtually unknown masterpieces of great composers from Carissimi to Hasse. Their creed is that the music of past centuries, once revived and given proper performance, will become organic part of our modern culture. Affetti Musicali propagates this belief, live and through their records, across Europe.”

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Added on: Nov 28, 2011 | Hits: 153

"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

"The Croatian Baroque Ensemble is the most prominent Croatian ensemble specialized for historically authentic interpretations of instrumental and vocal and instrumental music from the baroque and similar periods, performed on original instruments and their quality replicas.

The ensemble was founded in 1999 and consists of esteemed musicians from the younger generation - both instrumentalists and vocalists, who are already renowned in performing baroque music.

Along with a continuous concert series consisting of seven concerts at the Croatian Music Institute with clear thematic programs that include Croatian and foreign baroque music, they are regular guests at numerous national and international festivals (Varaždin Baroque Evenings, Zagreb Baroque Festival, Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Split Summer Festival, St. Donat’s Festival in Zadar, Histria Festival, Croatian Passionic Heritage, Organum Histriae, Concerts at the Eufrazijana, Rovinj Summer Festival, Brod Summer Festival, Osijek Summer Festival, Summer Festival on Pag, Festival Brežice, Festival of Croatian Music in Vienna, Festival of Central European Countries in Rome, Festival Tesori musicali Toscani in Pisa, etc.) ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 12, 2008 | Hits: 387

“XVIII-21 Le Baroque Nomade is a Baroque music ensemble, its adventure sometimes leading it to contrast this repertoire of the 17 th and 18 th centuries with other types of music that crossed it, thanks to the globe-trotting musicians who travelled the world in an era when voyages led to hybrid cultures...

XVIII-21 aims at finding other kinds of music :  music that is exotic or different ; music that is listened to in other ways, by other kinds of people. This pursuit sometimes involves violence, restrictions or confrontation. But it also makes way for an encounter, a fundamental, liberating passion. …”

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Added on: May 25, 2011 | Hits: 194

"Sequentia is one of the world’s most respected and innovative ensembles for medieval music. Founded in 1977 by Benjamin Bagby and the late Barbara Thornton, Sequentia can look back on more than three decades of international concert tours, a comprehensive discography spanning the entire Middle Ages (including the complete works of Hildegard von Bingen), film and television productions of medieval music drama, and new generations of young performers trained in professional courses given by the ensemble.

After 25 years based in Cologne, Germany, Sequentia’s home has been re-established in Paris. In the 2008-2009 season, Sequentia’s newly-formed ensemble of men’s voices, based in Paris, will give the premiere of an innovative new program of vocal polyphony and chant from the Cathedral of Notre Dame. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 464

“Musica-Humana Ensemble was formed in 2006.  It is devoted to the interpretation of music from the 14th to the 17th century with the aim of exploring areas of the repertoire that have until now mostly been ignored.   Beginning with academic research, Musica-Humana presents innovative programs and instrument combinations.  By adapting and recreating repertoires from often fragmentary source.”

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Added on: Mar 19, 2010 | Hits: 359

Discography

• Kapsberger: La Villanella (2001)
• Stefano Landi: Homo fugi velut umbra... (2002)
• La Tarantella: Antidotum Tarantulae (2002)
• All'Improvviso (2004)
• Cavalieri: Rappresentatione di Anima, et di Corpo (2004)
• Los Impossibles
• Monteverdi - Teatro d'Amore (2009)
• Via Crucis (2010)
• Monteverdi - Vespro della Beata Vergine (2011)
• Los Pajaros Perdidos (2012)

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Added on: Feb 24, 2008 | Hits: 387

“The ensemble “Les Timbres” sprung out of musical and human common understanding, and was created by three young musicians from varied backgrounds :

 Japanese violinist Yoko Kawakubo, fourth Prize in the International Competition of Baroque Violin of Rovereto in Italy (2007), a graduate of the University of Fine Arts of Tokyo - Japan - and from Odile Edouard's class at the National Conservatory of Lyon - France - (Master and DNSPM Très Bien à l’Unanimité avec les Félicitations du Jury);

French viola da gamba player Myriam Rignol who graduated from the National Conservatory of Lyon - France - (Marianne Muller's class) and the Musikhochschule of Köln - Germany - (Rainer Zipperling's class), and won the second Prize at the International Viola da Gamba Competition "Bach-Abel" (Köthen, Germany, 2009); the first Prize at the Yamanashi International Early Music Competition (Kôfu, Japan, 2010); as well as, the Second Prize and “Prix du Public” at the “Concours de Bruges” of 2011

Belgian harpsichordist Julien Wolfs, first Laureate of the International Competition of Harpsichord of Bruges -Belgium - in 2007 (Second Place ex-æquo and Public Audience Prize), who studied at the Upper Conservatory of Amsterdam - Netherlands - in Menno Van Delft's class and at the IMEP of Namur - Belgium - , where he was gained the highest honours for his Master of Music and his Master of Pedagogy.”

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Added on: Sep 30, 2011 | Hits: 230

"The music ensemble instrumental and vocal Les Talens Lyriques was established in 1991. By choosing this title, subtitle of a Rameau opera (Festivities Hebe, 1739), Christophe Rousset demonstrates his appeal for the repertoire of the eighteenth century.

The repertoire of Les Talens Lyriques extends from Monteverdi (The Coronation of Poppea) to Handel (Scipione, Riccardo Primo, Rinaldo, Admeto, Giulio Cesare, Serse, Tamerlano, Alcina), Lully (Perseus, Roland), Cimarosa (Il Mercato di Malmantile, Il Matrimonio Segreto), Traetta (Antigona, Ippolito ed Aricia), Jommelli (Armida abbandonata), Martin y Soler (La Capricciosa Corretta) and Mozart (Mitridate, Re di Ponto, Die Entführung aus dem Serail). ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 16, 2008 | Hits: 326

“In the Middle Ages, the paladins were knights, who roamed in search of adventure.

In 1760, Rameau composed Les Paladins, considered as the ultimate masterpiece of the French Baroque genre, characterised by fantasy and imagination.

Taking their name from a work by one of the greatest composers of the French Baroque period, Les Paladins explore the neglected repertoires as well as the greatest works of the Baroque musical period. The ensemble is associated with the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles where they gave performances of previously unperformed works such as Iphigénie en Tauride by Desmarets or The Elements by Destouches. They are also regularly invited at the Ambronay Festival, where they performed Histoires Sacrées by Carissimi, Serpentes in Deserto by Hasse, at the Jean de la Fontaine festival where they sang Actéon by Charpentier and The Bourgeois Gentilhomme by Lully and at Musiques d'Automne in St Genest Lerpt. They also participate in the Semaines Musicales de Quimper where they performed Dido and Aeneas and the Ode to Santa Cecilia by Purcell. ..“

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Added on: Jul 27, 2009 | Hits: 297

“A Baroque ensemble of the new generation, Les Ombres was founded by Sylvain Sartre and Margaux Blanchard in 2006 with the aim of closely linking musicological research and 'historically informed' interpretation. In their quest to rediscover forgotten masterpieces of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, its members seek to unite the emblematic arts of the Baroque theatre, so that musicians, singers, dancers and actors become interpreters of one and the same score. These specificities make the ensemble a space for creativity and expression, a human and musical adventure. Inspired by music as an art in constant evolution, Les Ombres also give priority to the exploration of new horizons, ranging from the traditional patrimony to contemporary creations.

The nucleus of Les Ombres is formed by three musicians trained at the Schola Cantorum of Basel: Margaux Blanchard (viola da gamba), nadja Lesaulnier (harpsichord), and Sylvain Sartre (transverse flute). According to the needs of specific programmes, this trio is supplemented by violins, flutes, bas- soon, theorbo, and so on. Alongside the instrumental repertoire, the ensemble devotes an important place to vocal music and dramaturgy. It has therefore invited for this CD Mélodie Ruvio, a mezzo-soprano who came to the members' attention in the title role of Le Carnaval et la Folie conducted by Hervé niquet at the European Baroque Academy of Ambronay in 2007, and the actor and director Manuel Weber, a specialist in Baroque theatre, whom they met at the creation of a production devoted to the fables of La Fontaine. …“

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Added on: Jul 21, 2011 | Hits: 209

“Ensemble bringing together singers and instrumentalists specialising in early music, Les Jardins de Courtoisie devotes itself to songs in old french from the XIIth to the XVIIth century.

The ensemble is equally open to other artistic disciplines and different repertoires collaborating with other artists and groups : music from the XXth century and contemporary creation, songs in other languages, improvisations, working with actors, dansers, calligraphers...

Created in 2004 and based in Lyon, Les Jardins de Courtoisie diffuses its works throughout France and more recently internationaly. It is distinguished by its presence at festivals like Ambronay, Saintes and Le Thoronet and have produced two CD’s that have obtained important prizes and excellent reviews.

The ensemble regularly organises meetings (workshops, conferences, courses and master-classes) and participates in educational projects.”

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Added on: Mar 29, 2012 | Hits: 110

“I founded this ensemble in order to achieve, with the help of some of my closest musical friends, certain projects which are dear to my heart. These are of various kinds, and include not only the performance of ‘classics’ of the early music repertoire, but also the promotion of neglected works (such as, for example, the works of Joseph Touchemoulin). We also wish to make more widely known some of the neo-baroque works of the C20th and C21st which have been written with period instruments in mind.’..“ Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 27, 2009 | Hits: 348

“With their baroque and mythological image, that of a terrifying monster and a pyrotechnical figure, «Les Cyclopes» explore baroque vocal Art with a totally new approach. They cover this aboundind universe with strength and enthusiasm, precision and contrast, ranging from the intimacy of the harpsichord to theatrical exuberance.

In january 2010 Bibiane Lapointe and Thierry Maeder have been made «Chevaliers dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres»”

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Added on: Mar 01, 2012 | Hits: 140

"The vocal and instrumental ensemble Les Arts Florissants is one of the most renowned and respected early music groups in Europe and throughout the world. Dedicated to the performance of Baroque music on period instruments, the ensemble was founded in 1979 by the Franco-American harpsichordist and conductor William Christie and takes its name from a short opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Les Arts Florissants have been largely responsible for the resurgence of interest in France of 17th-and 18th-centuries more generally.

It is in the field of opera where Les Arts Florissants have enjoyed most success, regularly collaborating with eminent directors and choreographers, such as Jean-Marie Villégier, Robert Carsen, Alfredo Arias, Francine Lancelot, Béatrice Massin, Ana Yepes, José Montalvo... They have an equally high profile in the concert hall and on disc. For twenty years Les Arts Florissants have been artists in residence at the Théâtre de Caen.

The ensemble tours widely in France and is frequently invited to perform at prestigious festivals and venues internationally (the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Lincoln Center, the Barbican Centre in London and the Vienna Festival among others).

Les Arts Florissants receive financial support from the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, the City of Caen and the Basse-Normandie Region. They are artists in residence in the théâtre de Caen. Imerys is their Principal Sponsor.”

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Added on: Aug 14, 2007 | Hits: 415

"Le Poème Harmonique, a group of soloists who came together in 1998 under the direction of Vincent Dumestre, centres its artistic activity on music of the seventeenth and the early eighteenth century.

The group's vocal and instrumental interpretations are enriched by other disciplines, with actors and dancers joining its singers and musicians in programmes of chamber works – Le Ballet des Fées, Il Fasolo – and, since 2004, in large-scale stage productions, such as Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, a comédie-ballet by Molière and Lully (stage director Benjamin Lazar) and Baroque Carnival (directed by Cécile Roussat), an original show combining Italian music with the circus arts (artists trained at the Centre National des Arts du Cirque). For operatic performances as Cadmus et Hermione by Lully (stage director Benjamin Lazar), Le Poème Harmonique studies in depth the correspondences between ‘period’ aesthetics – use of candles for lighting, authentic gestures and, for Cadmus, painted canvases and machinery – and the aesthetics of modern stage productions. Interaction between artistic disciplines and real teamwork – working together as a company – are Le Poème Harmonique’s hallmark in Baroque performance today. ..."

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Added on: Jul 12, 2008 | Hits: 396

"Le Petit Ensemble explores the music of the 17th and 18th centuries with its luxurious aesthetics by choosing and intimate contact with the public thanks to its chambre music." Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 20, 2008 | Hits: 465

“Founded by Martin Gester in Strasbourg in 1990, Le Parlement de Musique is an ensemble of solo singers and instrumentalists which may be expanded to the dimensions of orchestra with choir. It champions the Baroque and Classical repertoire in all its forms, alternating modern premieres and new interpretations of standard repertoire.

Le Parlement de Musique has produced a large number of significant modern recreations, most of which have been recorded and have met with an enthusiastic response from the press. Among these are works by Charpentier – the early Leçons de Ténèbres; several Histoires sacrées; and the Te Deum and Grands Motets (which despite the large number of recorded interpretations available was hailed by Diapason and a number of critics’ panels as the ‘benchmark version’); premiere recordings of works by Sébastien de Brossard and Samuel Capricornus; the Lamentazioni of Alessandro Scarlatti and the Vespers of Giovanni Battista Bassani (which won the Prize of the Fondazione Cini, Venice); organ concertos by J. S. Bach;  .. .“

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Added on: Jul 27, 2009 | Hits: 324

“In 1987, Hugo Reyne decided to form an ensemble devoted entirely to reviving France’s musical heritage of the 17th and 18th centuries. The name he chose combines the word "simphonie", which at the time was used to denote an instrumental ensemble, and the Marais, one of the most beautiful areas of Paris, typical of the Baroque period.

Hugo Reyne and La Simphonie du Marais perform a repertoire that ranges from the early baroque period to the classical period, with special emphasis on French music from Lully to Rameau. This ensemble brings together the most eminent musicians of the young baroque generation, giving Hugo Reyne the opportunity to bring his musicology research to life and to illustrate the innovative aspect of his interpretation.

The ensemble explore avenues of chamber music with flute or oboe, orchestral symphonies with between 15 and 30 musicians, open-air music with oboe band, side drums, trumpets and timpani and the birth of French opera. ..“

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Added on: Jul 27, 2009 | Hits: 338

"La Saltarelle was formed in 1986 in Castres, dans le Tarn (FR). The group offers a repertoire of dance, music and songs of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Renaissance Europe. " (transl. ed.) See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 12, 2008 | Hits: 355

“Created in 1995 with the help of harpsichordist Isabelle Ramona and her twin sister Catherine Ramona (gambist and cellist), La Ménestrandis is an association of professional musicians who perform already with many great French baroque ensembles.

The focus of the ensemble is to relive the great vocal or instrumental works of  of the XVII and XVIII centuries in their purest traditional form. ..“

Added on: Jul 27, 2009 | Hits: 368

“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...).“

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Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 402

“Founded in 2001 by tenor Benoit Haller, Chapelle Rhénane is a group of singers and instrumental soloists. The team is dedicated to the great works of European vocal repertoire. Its ambition is, through concerts and discs, to reveal the emotion, humanity and modernity of its music that could attract a broad contemporary audience.”

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Added on: Apr 24, 2011 | Hits: 239