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Baroque ensemble on period instruments Francis Colpron, artistic director |
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Artists > Past Seasons > Capriccio Stravagante
Has participated in
Critics’ Praise for Capriccio StravaganteDe leur exaltation monte une manière de fascination qui mènera plus d'un auditeur
au bord du vertige. Les musiciens du Capriccio Stravagante parviennent à impressionner par la sûreté
de leur style et l'émotion qui se dégage de leurs interprétations... ils ont fait
preuve d'autant de rigueur que d'humour et il apparaît que l'on doit désormais
compter avec eux plus que jamais. Le résultat est superbe. Toujours foisonnant, sans arrêt surprenant, tour à tour
mélancolique et enjoué. La plastique instrumentale y est exceptionnelle mais plus encore la variété des
déclamations, les perpétuels changements de perspectives sonores, la poésie
vibrante.....sans l'ombre d'une reconstitution laborieuse ni la trace d'une onction
musicologique stérilisante. The concert by Skip Sempe and Capriccio Stravagante was one that no audience
member will soon forget. The highly personal and romantic style of performance Sempe
cultivates in the ensemble is one to raise passions, both pro and contra. He seems
concerned to redefine bon gout for the French baroque - from the outset the music
making was marked by mercurial changes of tempo and dynamics. The Capriccio Stravagante musicians dug into their instruments like possessed folk
musicians. But as boisterous as they got, nothing could disguise their scrupulous
musicianship - and they could also play so soulfully that it took your breath
away. Thanks to the fine quality of the harpsichord and the exceptional skill of the
player, the recital was a thrilling event that held listeners spellbound. Sempe knew
what to do to show off the instrument. His technical tricks worked like a charm
throughout the program - he plugged into Bach's irrepressible energy with brilliant
performances of Baroque dances and a 'cello prelude. There was no stopping the storm
of applause at the end. Capriccio Stravagante is world-renowned for their memorable interpretations of Renaissance and Baroque music. Founded in 1986 by Skip Sempé, the ensemble of 3-30 musicians maintains a concert calendar of several dozen concerts per season. These include débuts and returns to London's Wigmore Hall, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Versailles Opéra Royal, the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, the Villa Medici in Rome, the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin; the Festivals of Aldeburgh, Aranjuez, Barcelona, Montpellier, Nimes, Montreux, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen, Boston, Utrecht and Lufthansa in London; the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, the Athens Concert Hall, and tours of France, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Italy, Holland, Scandinavia, the United States and Canada. The musicians share a dedication to unlimited liberty of expression, outstanding power of instrumental sonority and vocal excellence. Their success is the result of the selection of superb, one-of-a-kind artists chosen and catalysed by Skip Sempé. Their qualities encourage the daring virtuosity, audience contact, charm and spontaneity of Latin temperament essential to all that is Renaissance and Baroque. Ten years of dynamic presence has encouraged Capriccio Stravagante to extend their kaleidoscopic variety of sound and innovative programming with the long-awaited Capriccio Stravagante Renaissance Orchestra. The vivid colors of viols, flutes, lutes, guitars, harps, cornetti, harpsichords and percussion animate this new enterprise, and it is already one of the brilliant sounds of the future. The Renaissance Orchestra also features glamorous solo voices and consort singers with a focus on dramatic intent yet to be experienced in this repertoire. | |
