Ensembles
Ensemble La Traditora
Ensemble for Medieval, Renaissance & Baroque Music
La Traditora was founded in 2010 by three talented young musicians who had graduated from the prestigious school for early music “Schola Cantorum Basiliensis”. They have performed at Festivals throughout Europe, the USA and South America, collaborating with renowned early music ensembles including La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, Concerto Scirocco, Ensemble L’Art du Bois, Il Profondo, Duo Marti-Vicens and Per Far Lieto, and have performed with well-respected soloists like Andrea Marcon, Dominique Vellard, Paolo Pandolfo, Rolf Lislevand, Hopkinson Smith, Jordi Savall, William Christie, Pierre Hamon, and Gottfried von der Goltz.
Their successful Swiss debut was applauded with standing ovations, and since then, they have committed themselves to a dynamic interaction with their audience; their performances are full of virtuosity, color and playful confrontation.
Having different cultural backgrounds - French, Catalan and Chilean - Amélie Chemin (bass and treble viol), Maria Ferré (lutes, early guitars and theorbo) and Catalina Vicens (historic percussion, organ and harpsichord) have integrated their diversity into a common language of intensity, sensuality and humor.
La Traditora offers a vast range of renaissance and baroque music, which showcases their spontaneous musicianship. They also collaborate with prestigious guest musicians and dancers, which further enriches the diversity of their programs.
María Espada, Amélie Chemin and Maria Ferré
María Espada, Soprano
Amélie Chemin, Viola da Gamba
Maria Ferré, Theobo and baroque guitar
Program: Seicento italiano
Ensemble L'Art du Bois
The six young musicians of the ensemble L’Art du Bois have been bringing medieval renaissance and baroque music to life in their own arrangements since 2004. The international ensemble profits from the long-time duo experience of the two lutenists, from the mutual chamber music projects of the recorder players and the gamba player as well as from the intensive collaboration of the recorder trio L’Art du Bois playing together since 2002.
The juries of international competitions and the respective press greet L’Art du Bois with unanimous praise: L’Art du Bois was among the finalists of the International Young Artists Presentation of 2006 in Antwerp. In October of the same year the ensemble won the prize awarded by the jury as well as the prize awarded by the audience and a special award at the Van Wassenaer Concours for Early Music in The Hague. In January 2007 L’Art du Bois received first prize in the Göttinger Reihe Historischer Musik competition held by the Göttingen Händel Society. In September 2007 the ensemble won the second prize in the Concorso Internazionale di Musica Antica in Genua. In 2009 L’Art du Bois was awarded the prize of the audience and the 2nd prize of the jury in the international competition Musica Antiqua of Bruges/Belgium.
„Young, fit, dedicated, unconventional and radiating with enthusiasm“ (Badische Zeitung, 22.02.2007) the young ensemble captivates a growing audience through its „highly developed sense for improvisation, for rhythmic impulses, for theatrical effects, for the dramatization of a concert evening“ (Göttinger Tageblatt, 13.01.2007). L’Art du Bois gives guest performances at international concert series (Festival de música antigua “Via Stellae” Santiago de Compostela, Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht (Fringe), Festival de Música Antiga de Barcelona (Fringe), Hohenloher Kultursommer, Stockstädter Musiktage, Freiburger Fest der Innenhöfe, Ettenheimer Musiksommer). At the Internationalen Göttinger Händelfestspiele 2008 and the Bad Arolser Barock-Festspiele the audience celebrated the ensemble with overwhelming applause.
Alice Borciani, Magdalena Hasibeder, Sabine Stoffer and Maria Ferré
Alice Borciani | Sopran
Sabine Stoffer | Barockvioline
Maria Ferré | Theorbe
Magdalena Hasibeder | Orgel
Program: "VENI CREATOR"
A Corte Musical
Founded in 1998, the Swiss vocal and instrumental ensemble A Corte Musical dedicates itself to the rediscovery and performance of little known composers from seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe, in particular those from Portugal and Spain.
Under the direction of Rogério Gonçalves the ensemble has gained an impressive reputation in the field of early music. Recordings by the ensemble have been highly rated by the international musical press: a disc of sacred popular songs by the Catalan Baroque composer Francesc Valls (Symphonia / Pan classics), “Flores de Lisboa” (K617), Sebastián Durón‘s opera “La Guerra de los Gigantes” (Pan classics), “Évora“ (Pan classics) and "Lágrimas, Amor..." (Pan Classics).
Cappella Mediterranea Ensemble
La Cetra Barockorchester
La Cetra Barockorchester was founded in 1999 at the initiative of Dr. Peter Reidemeister, then Director of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and rapidly became recognized internationally as one of the leading ensembles in historically informed performance practice. The name La Cetra is taken from the title of Antonio Vivaldi’s collection of 12 violin concertos op. 9 first published in Amsterdam in 1727. La Cetra refers to the ancient lyre or zither.
Most of the musicians are graduates of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, the Swiss elite training centre for early music. The ensemble collaborates with the research department of the Schola Cantorum offering the possibility for musical programming and preparation supported by the most recent musicological findings. The discovery of works of composers such as Brescianello, Venturini or Paisiello have enriched the orchestra’s repertoire. This ranges from the early seventeenth century works of Monteverdi through to symphonies of the classical and early romantic periods.
La Cetra’s Artistic Director since 2009 is Andrea Marcon, internationally known as one of the preeminent conductors of Baroque and early Classical repertoire. He has brought new impulses and a fresh approach to the rich and often rediscovered repertoire of the period. Most recently, for example, Antonio Caldara’s La Concordia de’ pianeti was brought to life for the first time in nearly 300 years and recorded for the Deutsche Grammophon label.
Over the years, La Cetra has worked regularly with a number of well-known guest conductors, among them Jordi Savall, René Jacobs, Attilio Cremonesi or Gustav Leonhard, as well as soloists such as Andreas Scholl, Vivica Genaux, Magdalena Kožená, Patricia Petibon or Giuliano Carmignola, to name a few. The repertoire and the occasion determine the size of the orchestra which can go from a smaller Consort to a full-fledged orchestra with chorus and soloists. The La Cetra Vokalensemble was established in 2012 at the initiative of Andrea Marcon and appears regularly with the orchestra in opera and oratorio, as well as on its own.
La Cetra’s mission is to bring to life the music of the past with a fresh, dynamic and contemporary approach. Resounding public and critical acclaim in the major international festivals, in Europe’s leading concert halls and through a wide range of broadcast and CD productions give testimony to the orchestra’s brilliance.
Venice Baroque Orchestra
Founded in 1997 by Baroque scholar and harpsichordist Andrea Marcon, the Venice Baroque Orchestra is recognized as one of the premier ensembles devoted to period instrument performance. The Orchestra receives wide critical acclaim for its concert and opera performances throughout North America, Europe, South America, Japan and Korea,Taiwan and China. The Orchestra has appeared in many more cities across the United States than any other Baroque orchestra in history. They also maintain the most frequent touring schedule to Asia.
Committed to the rediscovery of 17th- and 18th-century masterpieces, under Mr. Marcon’s leadership VBO hasgiven the modern-day premieres of Francesco Cavalli’s L’Orione, Vivaldi’s Atenaide, Andromeda liberata, Benedetto Marcello’s La morte d’Adone and Il trionfo della poesia e della musica, and Boccherini’s La Clementina. With Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Orchestra has staged Cimarosa’s L’Olimpiade, Handel’s Siroe, and Galuppi’s L’Olimpiade, and reprised Siroe at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York in itsfirst full staging in the United States. The Orchestra has been seen worldwide through several television specials, including films by the BBC, ARTE, NTR (Netherlands), and NHK. They are the subject of three recent video recordings, and their performances were also featured on Swiss TV in the documentary film by Richard Dindo, Vivaldi in Venice. (...)
http://www.venicebaroqueorchestra.it
Freiburger Barockorchester
According to legend, it all began on New Year’s Eve in 1985, when several students at the College of Music in Freiburg – excited about the upcoming new year and in full flush thanks to a few glasses of sparkling wine – decided to form an ensemble and play Baroque music on historical instruments.
After two years of rehearsals, with intensive research into sources and animated discussions on how on earth to play this or that phrase in Baroque style, they were ready: the musicians appeared for the first time under the name ‘Freiburg Baroque Orchestra’ in the Burgheim Church in Lahr on 8 November 1987. The program consisted of Baroque music from England (Purcell), France (Lully), Italy (Corelli), Austria (Muffat) and the Netherlands (Wassenaer).
Even after more than twenty years, the musicians of the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra still approach every single work or concert programme from this perspective. Though in the meantime its repertoire has enlarged impressively, ranging from the Baroque 17th century, through the Classic and Romantic periods, to current works. Yes, the ‘Freiburgers’ (as they are often referred to in the music scene) have also inspired experimental musical interest amongst contemporary composers to create works for their Baroque instruments. Indeed, very often with an explicit Baroque reference, for example during the Bach Week in Ansbach where the musicians baptised an ‘Ansbachian Concert’ by Manfred Trojahn in August 2009, whose instrumentation and operatic concert form referred to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg Concerto.
The Freiburg Baroque Orchestra has conquered the most famous concert halls on the international music scene with this artistic credo. (...)
Concerto Köln
Passionate performance style and the uninterrupted desire to seek out the unfamiliar continue to be the trademarks of Concerto Köln. With its unique sound, the orchestra has held its rank among the leading ensembles for historically informed performance practice for over 30 years. With regular appearances at renowned festivals and in the great music capitals around the world, Concerto Köln is synonymous not only with outstanding interpretations of Early Music on an international level but also with its deep roots in Cologne's own musical scene. A testament to this is the continuation of the productive collaboration with the celebrated Countertenor, Valer Sabadus, at the grand anniversary concert on December 20th in the Cologne Philharonic Hall.
Further highlights in the current season 2015/16 include an extensive tour of Germany with the soprano, Julia Lezhneva and projects with Giuliano Carmignola, Mahan Esfahani, Christoph and Julian Prégardien as well as with the Bavarian Radio Choir under the baton of Peter Dijkstra. Guest performances lead Concerto Köln to Norway, France, Switzerland and to the Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam where work on Händel's “Ariodante” together with Andrea Marcon begins. Furthermore, the ensemble is engaged by the Audi Summer Concert Series for the concertante performance of Mozart's “Idomeneo” to be conducted by Kent Nagano and in the following spring, will perform the premiere of Cavalli's “Veremonda” under the baton of Gabriel Garrido at the Schwetzinger Festspiele. (...)