Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble
Kammermusik
The Academy of St Martin in the Fields was formed in 1958 as a small, conductorless chamber ensemble. Led by Neville Marriner and attracting some of the finest players in London, the orchestra at first concentrated on repertoire from the Baroque era, developing a style of performance that launched the 1960s Baroque revival and paved the way for today’s myriad period-instrument ensembles. The Academy was so named after the various concert-giving societies that had flourished in 18th-century London – most notably the Academy of Ancient Music, which met weekly at the Crown & Anchor Tavern on the Strand, and the Royal Academy of Music, for which Handel wrote many of his finest works. It gave its first professional concert at St Martin-in-the-Fields on 13 November 1959.
Only two years later it had secured its first recording contract, with the independent L’Oiseau-Lyre label. This was to be the beginning of a literally record-breaking discography that now boasts well over 500 entries, making the Academy the most recorded chamber orchestra in the world.
As demand for the Academy grew, so did the scope of its repertoire and the size of the orchestra, and eventually Sir Neville was forced to give up directing from the leader’s chair in favour of conducting from the front.
The Chamber Ensemble was created in 1967 with the purpose of performing the larger chamber works, from quintets to octets, with players who customarily work together, instead of the usual string quartet with additional guests. Originally made up from the principals of the orchestra, the Chamber Ensemble tours as a string octet, but also presents concerts in the UK and abroad, as a string sextet and in the Schubert Octet formation, or as an ensemble made up of two violins, two violas, cello, bass and two horns, to perform Mozart Divertimenti.
Contracts with Philips Classics, Hyperion Records and Chandos Records have led to recordings of over thirty CDs of Octets, Sextets and Quintets for strings and numerous mixed wind and string combinations.
The Ensemble’s touring commitments abroad are extensive with regular visits to France, Spain Germany and North America. In summer 2005, they toured South America as a Piano Quintet performing in eight cities, including Săo Paulo, Lima and Quito and in June 2007 they also toured South America as a string octet. The Chamber Ensemble recently recorded the Mendelssohn and Enesco octets which will be released soon.
SEASON 2008/2009
