Venice Baroque Orchestra

About

Founded in 1997, the Venice Baroque Orchestra is recognized as one of Europe's premier ensembles devoted to period instrument performance. Led by Baroque scholar and harpsichordist Andrea Marcon, the Orchestra has received wide critical acclaim for its concert and opera performances throughout North America, Europe, South America, and Japan.

The Orchestra's 2004-2005 season opened with a series of concerts at the first annual Venice Music Festival in October, including the modern-day premiere of Andromeda Liberata. Following performances of Andromeda at Carnegie Hall, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Amsterdam, and London, the VBO will join Katia and Marielle Labèque for a North American tour of Bach keyboard concertos and Vivaldi sinfonias. In February, 2004, the Orchestra toured the American Midwest and West Coast, featuring an appearance at Disney Hall and concert performances of the Handel opera, Siroe, at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, California. Also in 2003-2004, the Orchestra performed throughout Germany, at festivals in Istanbul, Lucerne, Ambronay, Passau, and Eisenach, and in concert at Sao Paolo, Zurich, Geneva, Lyon, and Basel. In 2002-2003, the Orchestra enjoyed a critically acclaimed, 20-concert debut tour of the United States with violinist Giuliano Carmignola, followed by appearances in Vienna, Paris, London, and Cologne with mezzo-soprano Angelika Kirschlager. Also in 2002-2003, the Orchestra appeared in concert at Rotterdam, Brussels, Cologne, Lisbon, Vienna, Barcelona, Venice, Zurich, Geneva, Munich, Düsseldorf, Lyon, and Tokyo.

Committed to the rediscovery of first-rate Baroque opera, Marcon has led the Orchestra in modern-day premieres of Francesco Cavalli's L'Orione, and Benedetto Marcello's La Morte D'Adone and Il trionfo della poesia e della musica. With Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Orchestra staged Handel's Siroe in 2000, followed with equal success by Cimarosa's L'Olimpiade in 2001. In April, 2004, the Orchestra revived Siroe in its first full staging in the United States at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.

In 2003, the Orchestra signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. Following the Orchestra's world premiere recording of Andromeda Liberata, releases will include a collection of Italian violin concertos with Giuliano Carmignola, Vivaldi motets with soprano Simone Kermes, and an album of Vivaldi sinfonias. The Orchestra's discography on Sony Classical includes The Four Seasons, two albums of previously unrecorded Vivaldi concertos, Locatelli violin concertos, and a collection of Bach arias featuring Angelika Kirchschlager. For its recordings, the Orchestra has been honored with the Diaspason D'Or and Echo Awards.

Its concerts have been filmed by the BBC and NHK, and broadcast by RadioFrance, ORF, RaiDue, BBC3, National Public Radio, and RadioTre.

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