Friday 26 November 2010

Florilegium

Ashley Solomon (Director)	Flute
Bojan Cicic	Violin
Reiko Ichise	Viola de Gamba
Terence Charlston	Harpsichord

Programme

Couperin	Sonata "L'espagnole" and Passacaille from Les Nations.
Handel	Trio Sonata in B minor.
Purcell	Suite for harpsichord.
Vivaldi	Concerto in D major, RV94.
- Interval -
JS Bach	Trio Sonata BWV526 in E minor (arr Florilegium).
Marais	Le Sonnerie de Sainte-Geneviève du Mont-de-Paris.
Telemann	Fantasie for solo flute No 8 in E minor.
Rebel	Les caractères de la danse.

Florilegium’s regular performances in some of the world’s most prestigious venues have confirmed their status as one of Britain’s most outstanding period instrument ensembles. Since their formation in 1991 they have established a reputation for stylish and exciting interpretations, from intimate chamber works to large-scale orchestral and choral repertoire, frequently working with some of the world’s finest musicians. 

Concert venues include Sydney Opera House, Esplanade (Singapore), Teatro Colon (Buenos Aires), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Konzerthaus (Vienna), Beethoven-Haus (Bonn), Handel-Haus (Halle) and Frick Collection (New York).

Among the numerous residencies Florilegium have held was Ensemble-in-Residence at London's Wigmore Hall from 1998 to 2000, performing several series of concerts each year and becoming actively involved in the Hall's education work. Since September 2008 they have been Ensemble in Association at the Royal College of Music.

Performances in 2008/09 included numerous concerts at home and abroad to celebrate the anniversaries of Haydn, Handel and Purcell. These three composers dominated the remainder of 2009, culminating in a Handel/ Purcell concert at Wigmore Hall with Dame Emma Kirkby on New Year’s Eve.  2010 started with a Bolivian Baroque concert in Singapore. Other performances will celebrate the 300th anniversary of Pergolesi’s birth with concerts in UK, (including Wigmore Hall, Stour Festival and York), at the Budapest Festival, in Spain, Austria, France, Italy and Germany. A further Bolivian Baroque concert will mark Florilegium’s debut at the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2010.

Their twenty recordings for Channel Classics have been awarded many prizes including a Gramophone Award nomination, Editor’s Choice from Gramophone, Diapasons d’Or and Chocs de la Musique. Florilegium’s CD of Telemann’s Paris Quartets Vol 2 received the Classical Internet Award from classicstoday.com. The Bach Cantatas disc with Johannette Zomer was awarded a 2008 Edison Award, Dutch music’s most prestigious prize The second volume of Baroque Music from Bolivian Missions was nominated for a 2008 BBC Music Magazine award, and this publication selected volume 3 as Disc of the Month for April 2010.

"The sound is captivating – fresh-toned and inexhaustibly animated… The music is totally absorbing from beginning to end." BBC Music Magazine, April 2010: Disc of the Month.

"If you’re looking for music to restore your faith in what’s good in life, look no farther. Florilegium’s pioneering Bolivian Baroque series contains some of the most delightful music I’ve heard in many a year... the directness of their approach, and the purity of their sound, transmits a youthful freshness that never fails to captivate." San Francisco Classical Voice, 23 Feb 2010.

Visit Florilegium's website.