Madrigal (ensemble)
Encyclopedia
The Ensemble Madrigal is an early music group. It was formed in 1965 by the Russia
n composer and harpsichord
player Andrey Volkonsky to perform Russian and Western sacred music of the Middle Ages
, Renaissance
, and Baroque
eras.
Its members were featured soloists of the Moscow State Philharmonic Society. In the intervening years, the 12-member group has expanded its repertoire to include a broad range of sacred and secular vocal and instrumental works of the 16th-18th centuries from across Europe. After the emigration of Andrey Volkonsky to the West, the ensemble was directed by the organist
Oleg Yanchenko, and since 1993 by the singer Lydia Davydova
. As the name suggests, the ensemble specializes in madrigals
and other secular genres of Renaissance
and Baroque
. The group has recorded more than 30 vinyl disks and has given more than 4000 performances in Russia
, Germany
, Italy
, Belgium
, Hungary
, Poland
, and elsewhere. The Ensemble Madrigal enjoys a permanent relationship with the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n composer and harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
player Andrey Volkonsky to perform Russian and Western sacred music of the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, and Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
eras.
Its members were featured soloists of the Moscow State Philharmonic Society. In the intervening years, the 12-member group has expanded its repertoire to include a broad range of sacred and secular vocal and instrumental works of the 16th-18th centuries from across Europe. After the emigration of Andrey Volkonsky to the West, the ensemble was directed by the organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
Oleg Yanchenko, and since 1993 by the singer Lydia Davydova
Lydia Davydova
Lydia Anatolyevna Davydova was a Russian soprano and a chamber music performer...
. As the name suggests, the ensemble specializes in madrigals
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
and other secular genres of Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
and Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
. The group has recorded more than 30 vinyl disks and has given more than 4000 performances in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and elsewhere. The Ensemble Madrigal enjoys a permanent relationship with the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Reviews
"The hype was not justified; it was exceeded! The concert of the Ensemble Madrigal, 'Music of the Castilian Kings', struck the public at the overcrowded Church of St. Joseph both by the choice of repertory and the quality of the performance. The vocalists were excellent, as were the instrumentalists - all brought together by the artistic director of the ensemble, Lydia Davydova; together, they created a miracle. Truly, the fantastic concert of the Ensemble Madrigal demonstrated a high level of skill and gives honour to Russian music and art." (La Verdata, Spain)External links
- Official website
- Madrigal page at Classical ArchivesClassical ArchivesClassical Archives is an online digital music store focused exclusively on classical music. Originally opening as the Classical MIDI Archives in 1994 primarily as a repository for free MIDI sequences of classical music works, in August, 2000 the site incorporated as Classical Archives, LLC, and...