Concerto Köln (Instrumental Ensemble)

Founded: 1985 - Köln, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Concerto Köln was founded in 1985 by graduates from several European Colleges of music. Its young members all specialize in performing on period instruments and came together with the aim of rediscovering 17^th- and 18^th century orchestral and operatic music on the basis of historical performing practice.

The group is organised along somewhat unusual lines, inasmuch as it receives no state funding and is a self-governing body. Depending on the works performed and the forces involved, it also operates without a conductor in its desire to create a close, chamber-like sense of ensemble. The group's Artistic Director is its leader, Werner Ehrhardt, although this does not preclude other members of the ensemble from taking on specific functions, the ultimate aim being to draw on the artistic ideas of every single player. Members also organise their own seminars and, at the same time, pursue independent careers as chamber musicians.

Concerto Köln has already appeared to immense acclaim in many musical capitals and at numerous well-known festivals. The group is particularly interested in reviving unknown or rarely performed works, and to this end joined forces with Deutschlandfunk (a German radio) in 1992 to found the Festtage Alte Musik Köln (Cologne Festival of Early Music). The first festival was devoted to W.A. Mozart's contemporary, Joseph Martin Kraus. The lectures, concerts and parallel exhibition met with enthusiastic support and widespread acclaim. The 1993 festival focussed on Spanish Classical composers in the persons of Arriaga, Soler, Pons, Moreno and Boccherini.

Since 1994 the festival has been run in association with Deutschlandfunk's successor, Deutschlandradio. In that year, the focus was on Gaetano Brunetti and the "Return of a Great Court Composer", while the 1995 festival was devoted to Pietro Antonio Locatelli. In 1996 it was again an unjustly neglected composer - Antonio Rosetti - who was the subject of attention. In 1995 Concerto Köln was awarded the Critics' Prize for Music for its contribution to the early music revival.

Concerto Köln has taken part in a lot of important festivals and has performed in every part of Europe (France, Germany, Greece, Algeria, Switzerland, Austria, England, Holland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium), South America and South Asia (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka).

The group has collaborated with a lot of well-known soloist, such as Andreas Staier (pianoforte), Rainer Kussmaul (violin), Anner Bylsma (violoncello), Saskia Kwast (arpa) and important conductor such as René Jacobs, Philippe Herreweghe, Frans Brüggen, Gustav Leonhardt, Volker Renike, Gerd Albrecht and Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden.

Concerto Köln has recorded for different label such as Harmonia Mundi France, Capriccio, Sony, Fnac. Now the ensemble is under exclusive contract to Teldec Classic International. Their very first recordings on the Teldec label - concerti grossi by P.A. Locatelli, symphonies by Rosetti and keyboard concertos by W.A. Mozart, Salieri and Stepàn with Andreas Staier as soloist - were all acclaimed by the musical press. The ensemble's most recent release is a recording of symphonies by Johann Baptist Vanhal and Felix Mendelssohn's string symphonies.

Source: Concerto Köln Website
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (August 2001)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Benhamin Appl [baritone]

Instrumental Ensemble

[C-1] (2018): Arias & Sinfonias from selected Cantatas
BWV 36/5, BWV 21/2, BWV 244/64, BWV 244/65, BWV 159/4, BWV 244/42, BWV 212/1, BWV 201/7, BWV 214/7, BWV 75/8, BWV 100/4, BWV 88/1, BWV 194/3, BWV 156/1, BWV 70/9, BWV 70/10, BWV 4/1, BWV 508, BWV 147/10

Frieder Bernius

Orchestra

BWV 206, BWV 207a

Roland Büchner

Orchestra

[CR-11] (2011, Radio recording): BWV 11

Pierre Cao

Orchestra

BWV 232 [TV]

Peter Dijkstra

Orchestra

BWV 232 [2^nd recording, 2016], BWV 243, BWV 244 [3^rd, 2013], BWV 245 [1^st, 2015], BWV 245 [2^{nd t}, 2015, Video]

Peter Neumann

Orchestra

Audio (2008) BWV 189 [w/ tenor Christoph Prégardien]

Ralf Otto

Orchestra

BWV 248

Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden

Orchestra

BWV 232

Klaas Stok

Orchestra

[V-3] (2018): BWV 232

Recordings of Bach’s Instrumental Works

Conductor

As

Works

Giuliano Carmignola

Orchestra

Violin Concerto No. 1 BWV 1041, Violin, Concerto No. 2 BWV 1042, Concerto for 2 violins BWV 1043, Violin Concerto 1052R, Violin Concerto BWV 1056R [w/ violinist Giuliano Carmignola]

Mahan Esfahani

Orchestra

Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 BWV 1052

Links to other Sites

Concerto Köln