Concentus Musicus - 04/2011

Concentus Musicus Wien was founded in 1953 by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Today, 55 years later, the ensemble remains at the forefront of historical performing practice.

Nikolaus Harnoncourt drew the instrumentalists of Concentus Musicus Wien from the ranks of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.  They came together as a specialist ensemble to play early music on period instruments, "not for historical but for artistic reasons, since the music of every period can be performed most vividly and convincingly using the resources of the time."  The group gave its first public concert at the Schwarzenberg Palais in Vienna in 1957, an event that marked the start of an annual concert series.

Concentus Musicus Wien made its first recordings for Teldec, which was then still called Telefunken, in 1963.  Around that same time, the ensemble undertook concert tours throughout Western Europe, performing repertoire including Bach's Brandenburg Concertos and music from the Austrian Baroque. Their first tour of the United States and Canada took place in 1966.

In 1970 Concentus Musicus Wien began recording the complete Bach cantatas for Teldec, an ambitious project which was completed in 1989.  At the same time, they continued to expand their own concert series at the Vienna Musikverein and to record works by Monteverdi, Purcell, Bach, Handel and Mozart.  Their recordings of the Bach B minor Mass and of Monteverdi’s three operas and Vespro della Beata Vergine (Vespers of 1610) have set international standards for early music performances.

The recordings of Concentus Musicus Wien continue to win prizes on a regular basis.  Mozart’s Lucio Silla and Handel’s Theodora, for example, were awarded the German Record Critics Prize in 1990 and 1991 respectively. Their recording of the complete Bach cantatas received a Gramophone Award for Special Achievement in 1990.  More recent accolades include the 1995 Cannes Classical Award for Bach’s St. John Passion, the Grammy Award 2001 for Bach's St. Matthew Passion and the 2006 Echo Classic Award for the recording of Handel's Messiah.

Concentus Musicus Wien continues to appear regularly in Vienna and to undertake tours throughout the world. 

SEASON 2009/2010