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"utterly gripping in its mixture of eroticism and violence" - The Guardian
"the very embodiment of sprezzatura" - Early Music Today
"technically superb, but in a highly expressive way" - Robert Hugill
"the very embodiment of sprezzatura" - Early Music Today
"technically superb, but in a highly expressive way" - Robert Hugill
What we doThe Monteverdi String Band is dedicated to celebrating the sound and style of the early violin consort, in both well-established repertoire and innovative new programmes. Our instruments are carefully chosen: they are modelled on originals from the early decades of the 17th century, rather than the 18th century, when developments which led the violin away from its origins as a consort instrument transformed its sound into something perhaps more brilliant but less rich and grounded. We relish the sound of pure gut strings in equal tension; this and the use of matching instruments brings a unique sound to the ensemble: as a recent critic wrote, “The MSB’s sound is quite unlike any that of any other ensemble I know that plays this music”.
We enjoy working with other like-minded ensembles in repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to Lully and Biber, with the occasional foray into the 18th century. The challenge of creating new programmes is one we find richly rewarding and for which we are delighted to have earned a reputation. This began with The Madrigal Transformed, in which we interleave “modern” (17th century!) and ancient (16th century) madrigals with contemporary readings; other productions include Monteverdi's Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, and Galileo, our first collaboration with playwright Clare Norburn, which premiered at BREMF in 2016. This year has seen our first performance of Bach's B minor mass and a new incarnation of The Madrigal Transformed at the Korkyra Baroque Festival in Croatia, as well as a Biber extravaganza and more Vespers performances in the autumn. We end the year looking forward with great excitement to revisiting Galileo - see Featured Event for details! 
MSB performing "The Madrigal Transformed" in Korçula, Croatia, September 2019.
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FEATURED EVENT
Baroque at the Edge: Galileo 11th January 2020 We are thrilled to be returning, with out friends in the Marian Consort, to Clare Norburn's powerful drama on the life and conflicts of Galileo Galilei at Baroque at the Edge, and especially excited to welcome actor Robin Soans (pictured) and director Nick Renton to the fold. Playwright Clare Norburn and MSB's director Oliver Webber explain the concept of Galileo here. Meanwhile in the press: Fiona Maddocks (Observer) Robert Hugill (Planet Hugill) Andrew Connal (thelatest.co.uk) 
Galileo at the Brighton Early Music Festival, 2016; photo by Rober Piwko
Recent performances:
12th, 13th September 2019 Korkyra Baroque: The Madrigal Transformed We had a wonderful time returning to one of our flagship programmes in our first visit to the enchanting island of Korčula. Here you can see a few precious memories of this special place. 4th October 2019 Leopold Mozart Tercentenary with ECSE and the BBC Singers In our first collaboration with the BBC Singers, courtesy of long-standing colleagues ECSE, we enjoyed a delightfully fresh and inspiring programme of music by Leopold Mozart and his contemporaries. 29th November 2019 Exeter: Grand Baroque IV Blackdowns Early Music Projects, true to form, created another extravaganza of Biber and contemporaries, which we and our friends in the English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble found richly rewarding. 30th November 2019 Truro Cathedral: Monteverdi, 1610 Vespers We returned with great pleasure to Monteverdi's iconic masterpiece with our friends from ECSE in the beautiful surroundings of Truro's 13th century cathedral. |