Retrospect Ensemble

Retrospect Ensemble is a British period music orchestra, chamber ensemble and choir with an extensive international touring and recording programme.

History

The name "Retrospect Ensemble" was adopted in May 2009 by the trustees for the musical charity then known as "The King's Consort",[1] which had been set up by Robert King in 1992. King had also created the period music orchestra, The King's Consort, in 1980.

To coincide with the charity's new identity,[2] a new performing group, Retrospect Ensemble, was launched in May 2009.[3] The Artistic Director is Matthew Halls, a conductor and harpsichordist who was Artistic Director of The King's Consort between 2007 and 2009 and had also previously played with Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Les Arts Florissants, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Academy of Ancient Music, the Theatre of Early Music, Montreal and the New York Collegium.[4] Retrospect Ensemble gave its debut performance on 1 May 2009 with Handel's Jeptha at the Norwich and Norfolk Festival.[5]

Repertoire and artistic direction

While the Ensemble also performs music from the 17th and 18th centuries, in naming the new group, Matthew Halls aimed to broaden its artistic direction to encompass historically-aware performance of composers such as Mendelssohn, Schumann and Rachmaninoff. According to Halls:

"We don't want to be the next Baroque orchestra, we want to widen the parameters. For example, I'm passionate about 19th-century German music, and I want to show how it grows out of earlier music."[3]

Performances and recordings

In 2009, Retrospect Ensemble performed at the Edinburgh Festival, in a regular season at London's Wigmore Hall, and in tours to Korea, Israel, Portugal and Switzerland. The group performs in various configurations including orchestra (from chamber orchestra to full symphony orchestra), choir and chamber ensemble. The group works with soloists such as Robin Blaze, Gary Cooper, Lucy Crowe, James Gilchrist, Gillian Keith, Carolyn Sampson and Hilary Summers. The Retrospect Trio focuses on the repertoire of the 17th and 18th century trio sonata.

In April 2009, Retrospect Ensemble signed a contract with Linn Records for a series of recordings,[6] Their first CD, Henry Purcell: 10 Sonatas in four parts, was released in May 2009.[7]

Recordings

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Taking Note", Gramophone Magazine, April 2009 Issue, p. 13 (accessed 19 November 2009)
  2. ↑ Charity Commission for England and Wales, 1079482 Retrospect Ensemble (accessed 19 January 2010)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hewett, Ivan, "Retrospect Ensemble: the born-again consort", Daily Telegraph, 29 April 2009 (accessed 19 November 2009)
  4. ↑ Linn Records
  5. ↑ Norfolk and Norwich Festival 2009 (accessed 10 April 2009)
  6. ↑ "Soundbites" , Gramophone, June 2009, p. 12
  7. ↑ Canning Hugh, "Henry Purcell: 10 Sonatas in four parts - Retrospect Trio", The Sunday Times, 31 May 2009
  8. ↑ The Stanley Sadie Recording Prize 2009, press release

External links