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Fluent in the musical styles of the past,
at ease with its musical idioms,
the musicians of Ensemble all'improvviso,
masters at reacting spontaneously to each other,
are dedicated to actively (re)creating early music.
CD:
- more Info about the CD
Ohrwürmer auf Reisen
Martin Erhardt, recorder
Michael Spiecker, baroque violin
Christoph Sommer, lute
Miyoko Ito, viola da gamba
Download press photo
Photos: Isabel Moreton
Photo: Nico Born
Concert programme: Die Abenteuer des Simplicissimus
Latin, today, is a dead language. We learn to read and translate Latin texts, but not how to communicate orally in Latin. Of course, there are still a few nerds who practice this nonetheless, but they're just a few cases.
It is evident, however, that musicians in the past centuries improvised a lot - they were capable to express themselves in their musical language spontaneously, freely and individually, they felt at home there like a fish in the water. So if early music is to be brought back to life today, it's not enough just to perform the repertoire from the score ("reading out"): No, you must also be able to express yourself freely in the language of early music.
Our improvised concerts and jam sessions reach a degree of vividness that no CD is able to reproduce. The ephemeral and unrepeatable aspects of live improvisation are a feast for the audience's ears and eyes. It is a stimulating experience for the audience to watch the creation process taking place in front of them, and to be able to follow the musicians' ideas and thoughts as they develop. For us, a melody coming into being in real-time holds a potential of great value, made possible by the oneness of composer and performer. The whole musical experience of the improviser as well as his individual character come into light when improvising.
But how is it possible today to improvise in the same style than musicians did in the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque period, since the microphone was not yet invented? Luckily, improvisation was so enormously appreciated in those days that a lot of music was written down in a style that resembles improvisation. Luckily also, quite a remarkable amount of treatises from the time describing techniques of improvisation have been preserved. But in fact, we regard the preserved repertoire as the peak of the iceberg, and from this visible part, we can make speculations and draw conclusions about what was lost.
Generally speaking, improvisation for us is not a means unto itself, but serves as a tool to bring Early Music back to life.
Admittedly, the comparison with the Latin language is poor: Our music has the crucial advantage that it's understood by the audience immediately!