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Europa Galante

Europa Galante was founded in 1989 by its musical director Fabio Biondi, who wanted to form an Italian period instrument ensemble to play both, the baroque and classical repertoire. The ensemble has a varying structure and often performs chamber music, such as the string sonatas of Italian composers of the seventeenth century. des 17. Jahrhunderts.

The ensemble’s repertoire includes operas of Handel, such as Agrippina and Imeneo, as well as Vivaldi, including Bazajet, Ercole sul Termodonte, Oracolo in Messenia and many pre-eighteenth century instrumental works. The orchestra is widely known for its performances of the works of Alessandro Scarlatti, such as the oratorios (Maddalena, La Santissima Trinità), serenatas (Clori, Dorino e Amore) and operas including Massimo Puppieno, Il Trionfo dell’Onore, La Principessa Fedele and Carlo Re d’Allemagna. Europa Galante regularly collaborates with the Fondazione Santa Cecilia in Rome to rediscover and restore eighteenth-century Italian operas, such as Antonio Caldara’s La Passione di Gesù Cristo, Leonardo Leo’s Sant’Elena al Calvario or Gesu sotto il peso della Croce by F. di Mayo. Last season in Rome, the ensemble presented La Foresta Incantata by Francesco Geminiani, together with an animated film by Fabio Biondi and the director Davide Livermore.

Europa Galante performed in many of the world’s major concert halls and theatres, including La Scala in Milan, Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Royal Albert Hall in London, Musikverein in Vienna, Lincoln Center in New York and the Sydney Opera House. The ensemble also toured throughout Australia, Japan, Europe, Canada, Israel, the USA and South America.

VIDEO

PRESS

„… tutto aveva un senso, un’ intelligenza musicale. In tutto, questo Europa Galante si è confermata un’ orchestra che risponde come un corpo unico ma che rivelare tra le sue fila bravi solisti, quando serve. Teatro colmo pubblico un festa come a un concerto rock!”

Gazzetta di Parma, 22 October 2021

„Had Fabio Biondi made no other record, we would know from this one that he was a great violinist.“

The Strad, 2019

„I will certainly be looking out for any future releases he (Fabio Biondi) cares to record.“

The Art Music Lounge, 2019

„Biondi was a wizard on his violin.“

The San Diego Union Tribune. 2018

PROJECTS 2025/26 – A SELECTION

–Overview Projects 2025/26 (PDF)

29 November – 7 December 2025 and upon request
LAMENTO
with Ian Bostridge, tenor
Werke von D. Castello, C. Monteverdi, C. Farina, S. D’India, G. Frescobaldi, C. Monteverdi

In this programme, Europa Galante and Ian Bostridge present works that stand at the transition between the Renaissance and Baroque, including the dramatic madrigal Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda. Instrumental works by Carlo Farina and Dario Castello will also be performed.

Termine auf Anfrage
VIER JAHRESZEITEN
mit Fabio Biondi, künstlerische Leitung und Violine

F. Geminiani: Concerto Grosso „La Follia“
P. Locatelli: Concerto Grosso op. 1 Nr. 3
A. Corelli: Concerto Grosso op. 6 Nr. 4
A. Vivaldi: Die Vier Jahreszeiten

DOWNLOADS

PAST CONCERTS – A SELECTION

16 February 2022 Elbphilharmonie Hamburg / 18 February 2022 Palau de la Música Barcelona / 20 Feburary 2022 Auditorio Nacional de Música Madrid / 22 Feburary 2022 Theater an der Wien
C. Monteverdi: L’ Orfeo
Fabio Biondi, Conductor / Ian Bostridge (Orfeo) / Monica Piccinini (Euridice, La Musica) / Marina de Liso (Messagera, La Speranza) / RIAS Kammerchor / Europa Galante / a.o.

“One can only marvel at the richness of colour in the ensemble Europa Galante, not even two dozen strong, under the direction of its concertmaster Fabio Biondi.”

Hamburger Abendblatt, 17 February 2022

“El excelente conjunto instrumental.”

opera world, 15 February 2022

20 April 2019
C. Monteverdi: Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria
Fabio Biondi, conductor / Furio Zanasi, Ulisse / Sara Mingardo, Penelope / Ewa Leszczynska Ericlea / Matheus Pompeu, Giove / Coro Costanzo Porta / Walter Le Moli (stage director) a.o.

8 June 2018 / 21 July 2018 / 11 September 2018
EUROPEAN MIGRANTS

Works by M. Mascitti, A. Vivaldi, G.F. Händel, F. Geminianio, F. Barsanti, G. Paisiello, J. Stamitz, A. Soler, L. Boccherini and G. P. Telemann

Compagnia di Punto

As part of the Ludwig van Beethoven Year 2020 – the 250th anniversary of the birth of the German-born Viennese master -, the Compagnia di Punto has made a recording of his first three symphonies. How is this special?

A remarkable aspect of this recording is that Beethoven’s symphonies, today considered as untouchable and virtually sacred monuments, are here performed by the Compagnia di Punto in arrangements realized by Beethoven’s contemporaries for a chamber ensemble made up of only ten instrumentalists. While this may be considered an affront to some purists, this recording will be welcomed by classical music fans with an open mind as an absolute rarity. On one hand, original arrangements of famous works reveal how loosely the “musical pantheon” could be treated during Beethoven’s time; on the other hand, they manage to cast a completely new light on musical works that are known inside out. With exceptional works such as Beethoven’s symphonies, this is an especially rewarding undertaking. Nominated for an OPUS Klassik 2020 in the category “Ensemble/Orchestra of the year”!

VIDEO

PRESS

„An outstanding ensemble gives us a new perspective on Beethoven’s symphonies.“

NDR Kultur, 21.02.2020

„The presence of mind and vitality of nine fantastically motivated players sweep the listener into the symphonic chamber music of yesteryear…“

Süddeutschen Zeitung, 02.02.2020

„Fazit: Auf jeden Fall spannend!“

onlineMerker, 07.02.2020

SELECTION OF PROJECTS 2025/26

.Overview Projects 2024/25 (PDF)

Availability on request
Distortions
with Ian Bostridge, tenor / Marina Galic, actress

Works by Robert Schumann after poetry by Heinrich Heine with fragments of scenes from Woyzeck by Georg Büchner for singer, actress and chamber ensemble.

Ian Bostridge and Marina Galic as the main characters are joined by the ensemble Compagnia di Punto, which performs on instruments from the early 19th century – the period in which both Schumann and Büchner were active. Through exaggeration and alienation, this unusual, dramatic recital repeatedly draws Schumann’s beautiful songs into the present and poses the question if we, as a society, deal with psychological instability appropriately.

Availability on request
En miniature

Compagnia die Punto plays Beethoven’s, Mozart’s and Haydn’s symphonies on period instruments in chamber music format, arranged by contemporaries Carl Friedrich Ebers and Ferdinand Ries. The symphonies can be combined at will or supplemented with other works by Beethoven for small ensembles.

L. v. Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21, edited by Karl Friedrich Ebers (1770-1836)
L. v. Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 38, edited by Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838)
L. v. Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55, edited by Carl Friedrich Ebers
L. v. Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral” in F major, Op. 68
W. A. Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550
J. Haydn: Symphony No. 99 in E flat major, Hob. I:99
J. Haydn: Symphony No. 101 ” The clock” in D major, Hob. I:101
A. Rosetti: Sinfonie G major Murray A41
A. Rosetti: Sinfonie F major Murray A35
A. Rosetti: Sinfonie C major Murray A3

Additional works by Beethoven: Serenade for flute, violin and viola Op. 25, Sextett Op. 81b (2 horns and piano), Horn Sonata

Die Sammlung André - Compagnia di Punto

Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36: IV. Allegro molto (Arr. for Small Orchestra by Ferdinand Ries)

DOWNLOADS

–Compagnia di Punto press photo 1

–Compagnia di Punto press photo 2

–Compagnia di Punto press photo 3

–Biography (PDF)

–Projects 2024/25 (PDF)

–Projects 2025/26 (PDF)

B’Rock Orchestra

B’Rock Orchestra was set up in Ghent in 2005 on the basis of an urge for renewal and rejuvenation in the world of Early Music. The selected international musicians specialize in historically well-founded performance practices. They distinguish themselves by their open mind and flexibility of repertoire and playing style.

In the choices it makes for its concert programmes, B’Rock combines established works of baroque composition with the lesser-known repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries. In addition, the orchestra pursues a bold and innovative programme policy, in which early and contemporary music meet and enrich each other. It focuses especially on giving first performances of new music written with its historic instruments in mind. Yet, the orchestra has a reputation for cross-genre productions, too. Finally, early music in combination with theatre, visual art and/or video are also a part of the orchestra’s DNA.

B’Rock Orchestra regularly engages prominent guest conductors and soloists such as René Jacobs, Jérémie Rhorer, Leonardo García Alarcón, Peter Dijkstra, Bejun Mehta, Alexander Melnikov, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Dmitry Sinkovsky, Sophie Karthäuser and many others. It frequently collaborates with leading choral ensembles such as RIAS Kammerchor, Collegium Vocale Ghent, the Nederlands Kamerkoor and Cappella Amsterdam ND has developed structural partnerships in the fields of opera and musical theatre with De Munt/La Monnaie and Muziektheater Transparant.

VIDEO

PRESS

„It is sensational how well the “Ur-Carmen” does when the orchestral sound is skilfully purified.”

Hamburger Abendblatt, 26 March 2024

„But, under Mr. Jacobs’s baton, B’Rock still sounded like a small chamber orchestra: nimble, clear, precise. And restrained, reserving its most powerful sound for dramatic effect, which added a sense of theater to a piece…”

New York Times, January 2019

„It’s a very special experience, from which the world can learn a great deal.“

Bachtrack, March 2017

SELECTION OF PROJECTS (2025/26)

–Overview projects 2024/25 (PDF)

–Overview projects 2025/26 (PDF)

15 October – 3 November 2025
VENUS
with Jeanine de Bique, soprano

The programme with soprano Jeanine de Bique is dedicated to Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty, planet of our solar system and astrological constellation, with French, Italian and English compositions from the period between around 1650 and 1750.

Various works from the 17th and 18th centuries

Jeanine de Bique © Tim Tronckoe

Dates upon request
DON’T LOOK BACK! – Re: Orpheus
with Benjamin Appl, baritone // Cecilia Bernardini, artistic leader & violin

The myth of Orfeo, Orpheus, Orphée – an inexhaustible source of inspiration for countless composers and for one of the most exciting singers of our time, Benjamin Appl. Together with the B’Rock Orchestra, he embarks on a journey that follows the musical traces of Orphée from the Renaissance to the present day.

With words by C. Monteverdi, W. Byrd, A. Draghi, C. H. Graun, G. P. Telemann, V. Williams, H. W. Henze und S. Gubaidulina a.o.

Benjamin Appl © David Ruano

Cecilia Bernardini © Foppe Schut

DOWNLOADS

–B’Rock Orchestra press photo 1

–B’Rock Orchestra press photo 2

–B’Rock Orchestra press photo 3

–Overview projects 24/25 (PDF)

–Overview projects 25/26 (PDF)

–Biography (PDF)

PAST CONCERTS – A SELECTION

12 March 2024, De Singel, Antwerpen / 14 March 2024, Philharmonie de Paris / 16 March 2024, Konzerthaus Dortmund / 17 March 2024, Kölner Philharmonie / 25 March 2024, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg / 27 March 2024, Teatro Real, Madrid
Christiane Gaëlle Arquez, Carmen / Sabine Devieilhe, Micaëla / François Rougier, Don José / Thomas Dolié, Escamillo / Chœur de Chambre de Namur / Kinderchor Opera Ballet Vlaanderen / B’ROCK Orchestra / René Jacobs, conductor
CAMEN!
G. Bizet: Carmen. Opera in four acts / Version 1874, édition Paul Prévost

“It is sensational how well the ‘Ur-Carmen’ does when the orchestral sound is skilfully purified”

Hamburger Abendblatt, 26 March 2024

25 + 26 February 2023
B’Rock Orchestra, René Jacobs, Christiane Karg
VENGA LA MORTE!
C. M. von Weber: Overture to the opera „Der Freischütz”
W. A. Mozart: Cocert arias K.272, K.369 & K.490
Franz Schubert: Symphony no. 9 in C major D 944 „The Great”

“The orchestral sound is impressively transparent, you can hear every single voice, everything seems slender, supple, never fatted by vibrato.”

Die Rheinpfalz, 27 January 2023

11 + 19 March 2018
B’Rock Orchestra, René Jacobs, Robin Johanssen
F. Schubert: Symphony no. 1 in D major D 82
F. Schubert: Symphony no. 6 in C major D 589

Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century

The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century is one of the most prominent early music orchestras in the world. The musicians play internationally in leading (chamber) music ensembles and meet several times a year for performances of iconic and lesser-known repertoire. In the early 1980s, the orchestra achieved world fame by performing grand symphonic work on original instruments and in a historically informed manner. A revolution that never really stopped.

But the uniqueness of the orchestra is not only in the sound or the way of playing. Ever since it was founded by Frans Brüggen more than forty years ago, musicians have never taken a score for granted. The approach is critical, curious, investigative and progressive. Core values from the Enlightenment that all orchestra members hold in high esteem. That is why every performance is a new challenge and the iconic repertoire remains alive and kicking.

VIDEO

PRESS

„Standing ovation at the end!“

Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung, 8 April 2024

„The other starry performance of the evening came from the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century.“

Bachtrack, 16th October 2019

SELECTION OF PROJECTS 2025/26

–Overview projects 2024/25 (PDF)

–Overview projects 2025/26 (PDF)

January 2026
Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda
with Ian Bostridge, tenor // Anna Prohaska, soprano // 2 Dancers (tbc) // Claire Van Campen, stage direction

Claudio Monteverdi’s motto when creating his madrigal could have been to achieve the greatest possible effect with minimal means. With just three voices and a small string section, it already succeeded in arousing strong emotions in the audience at the first performance in 1624. The programme, directed by Claire van Campen, adds two female dancers to the chamber play-like stage work and also considers works by female composers of the following generation, the Venetian Barbara Strozzi and the Milanese abbess Chiara Margarita Cozzolani.

C. Monterverdi: Il combattimento di Tancredi et Clorinda

Anna Prohaska © Harald Hoffmann / Ian Bostridge © Kalpesh Lathigra

April – 10 May 2026 and on request
with Alena Baeva, violine

Works by Ludwig van Beethoven and/or Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

“…standing ovation at the end.”

Rhein Neckar Zeitung, 08 April 2024

DOWNLOADS

–Orchestra of the 18th Century press photo 1

–Orchestra of the 18th Century press photo 2

–Orchestra of the 18th Century press photo 3

–Biography (PDF)

–Projects 2024/25 (PDF)

–Projects 2025/26 (PDF)

PAST CONCERTS – A SELECTION

25 MAY 2022 Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
J. Haydn: The Seasons
Nicolas Altstaedt, Dirigent / Christina Landhamer (Hanne) / Ian Bostridge (Lukas) / Florian Boesch (Simon) Capella Amsterdam

Vox Luminis

Vox Luminis was established almost 20 years ago; today, the ensemble uses its sparkling traits to enhance the world of early music! The push was made in 2004 by Lionel Meunier – bass and founding base of Vox Luminis. The objective is to gain access to the Light through the Voice. Every year, the ensemble releases on average two discs and offers its audience more than 60 concerts on Belgian, European and international stages.

They define themselves as a group of soloists with a variable combination (with a base from the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague) and of a continuo, additional instrumentalists or a full orchestra, depending on the repertoire. The repertoire is essentially Italian, English and German and spans the 16th through the 18th centuries. Since its creation, the ensemble has been noted for its cohesion and it charms with the personality of every timbre and the homogeneity of the voices.

The year 2018 was marked by two awards: first, Vox Luminis won the famous BBC Music Magazine AWARD 2018 in the category “Choral Award Winner” for their recording Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott, following the disc Luther et la Musique de la Réforme. Second, KLARA named them “Ensemble of the Year”.

Today, Lionel Meunier has established himself as the internationally well-known conductor and artistic director of the Vox Luminis ensemble, which he created in 2004.

The ensemble is supported by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, the City of Namur and Namur Confluent Culture and the Art and Life Tours (a funding program for concerts in Wallonia).

VIDEO

PRESS

„The interpretation of Vox Luminis is pure melodiousness.“

BR Klassik, 01 June 2023

„… and the result is another deeply musical triumph.“

The Guardian, 30.06.2019

“Director Lionel Meunier is the real star, with a soaring vision of Purcell’s music in a class of its own.”

BBC Music Magazine

SELECTION OF PROJECTS 2025/26

25 March – 4 April 2026
Ein Deutsches BarockRequieum

Johannes Brahms had a passion for polyphony and was inspired by models from the great Lutheran tradition of the late Renaissance and the Baroque for his Deutsches Requiem. It is no surprise that some of the texts that Brahms chose had already been set by his illustrious predecessors; it simply remained to trace a path through these earlier scores, so many meditations on death, and to assemble a very different Deutsches Requiem: one animated by the emotions of the Lutheran Baroque.

The recording, released in 2023, was honoured with the German Record Critics’ Award (PDSK), among others.

DOWNLOADS

Overview projects upon request

–Vox Luminis press photo 1

–Vox Luminis press photo 2

–Vox Luminis press photo 3

–Vox Luminis XL press photo 4

–Vox Luminis press photo 5

–Biography (PDF)

Oberon Trio

The Oberon Trio was founded in 2006. Shortly after the ensemble’s premier concert, the Flensburger Tageblatt already credited the Oberon Trio with “enormous interpretive abilities, which testify to the enchanting ripeness and stylistic command of this new ensemble.” Meanwhile, Oberon Trio has given performances at the Berliner Philharmonie, the Wiener Konzerthaus, the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, the Konzerthaus Dortmund and Esterházy Palace, among others, as well as in Italy, Bulgaria, Israel, India, Egypt and the Ukraine.

Its three members are committed to offering performances of lesser-known compositions alongside with established masterpieces. Their repertoire extends from piano trios by CPE Bach and Joseph Haydn, the pioneers of the medium, to those by Jörg Widmann and Charlotte Bray, whose trios were recorded by the ensemble for the first time. Oberon Trio also collaborates regularly with chamber music partners such as Tabea Zimmermann, Ian Bostridge, Christoph Prégardien and Shirley Brill.

A special passion of the Oberon Trio is the establishment of greater intimacy between the performers and the public. Through moderated concerts and by publishing their own programme notes of performed works among other approaches, they provide listeners with an insight into their working process and the background of their interpretations.

On November 19, 2022, the Oberon Trio invited to the TRIOGIPFEL E.T.A.200. Together with the Amatis Trio, the Morgenstern Trio and the actress Stella Maria Adorf, the ensemble celebrated the poet, composer and caricaturist E.T.A. Hoffmann, whose death anniversary in 2022 was the 200th. The program included works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, two world premieres by Britta Byström and Frank Zabel – and, of course, music and texts by the jubilarian E.T.A. Hoffmann.

VIDEO

PRESS

„Zuhören einfach ein Genuß!“

Passauer Neue Presse, 16. Juli 2022

„Haydn und Schumann klingen frisch wie am ersten Tag, Hosokawas spirituelle Dimension ist geradezu eine Offenbarung, und Copland stringentes Doppelspiel mit Zwischentönen gelingt grandios.“

Crescendo, Februar 2020

„Kammermusik auf höchstem Niveau.“

Das Orchester, Mai, 2017

SELECTION OF PROJECTS 2024/25

–Project Overview 2024-25 (PDF)

Dates available upon request
LIEBST DU UM SCHÖNHEIT
with Ian Bostridge, tenor

Rückert songs by Franz Schubert, Gustav Mahler, Clara Schumann a.o.

Dates available upon request
FOLK SONG BY HAYDN AND BEETHOVEN
with Christoph Prégardien or Ian Bostridge, tenor

With songs and trios by L. v. Beethoven and J. Haydn

DOWNLOADS

–Oberon Trio press photo 1

–Oberon Trio press photo 2

–Oberon Trio press photo 3

–Biography (PDF)

–Projects 2024-25 (PDF)

–Beethoven hoch Drei (PDF)

PAST CONCERTS – A SELECTION

19 November 2022, KühlhausBerlin
TRIOGIPFEL E.T.A.200 –
“Wo die Sprache aufhört, fängt die Musik an.”
A chamber music festival for Berlin on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the death of E.T.A. Hoffmann

Contributors: Oberon Trio, Amatis Trio, Morgenstern Trio, Stella Maria Adorf

“The result is an impressive plea for the piano trio genre.”

nmz, 20 November 2022

27 June 2020, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele
Beethoven3
Oberon Trio / Christoph Pregardién, tenor

Kronos Quartet

For nearly 50 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet—David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola), and Paul Wiancko (cello)—has reimagined what the string quartet experience can be. One of the most celebrated and influential groups of our era, Kronos has given thousands of concerts worldwide, released more than 70 recordings, and collaborated with many of the world’s most accomplished composers and performers across many genres. Kronos has received more than 40 awards, including three Grammys and the Polar Music, Avery Fisher, and Edison Klassiek Oeuvre Prizes.

Through its non-profit organization, Kronos Performing Arts Association (KPAA), Kronos has commissioned more than 1,000 works and arrangements for quartet. KPAA also manages Kronos’ concert tours, local performances, recordings, and education programs, and produces an annual Kronos Festival in San Francisco. In its most ambitious commissioning effort to date, KPAA has recently completed 50 for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire. Through this initiative, Kronos has commissioned—and distributed online for free—50 new works for string quartet designed for students and emerging professionals, written by composers from around the world.

VIDEO

PRESS

„Now after 45 years, the Kronos life journey [has become] a relentless endeavor to open up the world’s music for everyone.“

Metro Silicon Valley

„As Ben Jonson said of Shakespeare, [Kronos Quartet is] not of an age but for all time.“

Santa Cruz Sentinel

„The most far-ranging ensemble geographically, nationally and stylistically the world has known.“

Los Angeles Times

DOWNLOADS

–Kronos Quartet press photo 1

–Kronos Quartet press photo 2

–Kronos Quartet press photo 3

–Biography (PDF)

–Projects 25/26 (PDF)

PAST CONCERTS

21 MAY 2022 Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele
50 for the future

For its 50 for the Future project, the Kronos Quartet asked 50 international composers to write new works. The compositions created and still being created follow a participatory approach in that the scores are accessible free of charge and are supplemented by audio samples and interviews. In Ludwigsburg, the programme included works by Angélique Kidjo, inti figgis-vizueta, Terry Riley and Philip Glass, among others.