Concentus Musicus Wien (CMW) is an Austrian
baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
music ensemble based in Vienna. The CMW is recognized as a pioneer of the
period-instrument performance movement.
History
Nikolaus Harnoncourt and
Alice Harnoncourt co-founded the CMW in 1953, along with several musicians from the
Vienna Symphony Orchestra. The CMW did research and rehearsal for 4 years before their first official concert;
although the ensemble made its 'unofficial' debut at the
Konzerthaus, Vienna
The Konzerthaus is a concert hall located in Vienna, Austria, which opened in 1913. It is situated in the third district just at the edge of the first district in Vienna. Since it was founded it has always tried to emphasise both traditional and ...
in 1954 with a production of Claudio Monteverdi's ''
Orfeo'', the CMW's first public concert was in May 1957 at the
Schwarzenberg Palace in Vienna. The CMW gave a regular concert series at the Schwarzenberg Palace from 1958 to 1962. The CMW made its formal debut in the ''Mozart-Saal'' of the Vienna ''Konzerthaus'' in February 1962, and performed concerts regularly there until 1971. The CMW staged its first opera at the 1971
Wiener Festwochen
The Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) is a culture festival that takes place in Vienna for five or six weeks in May and June every year. The Vienna Festival was established in 1951, when Vienna was still occupied by the Participants in World W ...
with Monteverdi's ''
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria''. The CMW's first concert at the ''
Musikverein
The ( or ; ), commonly shortened to , is a concert hall in Vienna, Austria, which is located in the Innere Stadt district. The building opened in 1870 and is the home of the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra.
The acoustics of the building's 'Grea ...
'', Vienna, was in 1973. The orchestra has continued to perform regularly at the ''Musikverein'' since then. Nikolaus Harnoncourt directed the ensemble from the cello until 1987, and subsequently led the CMW as its conductor and artistic director.
The CMW has performed at European music festivals in such cities as Salzburg and Lucerne, as well as the
styriarte festival in
Graz
Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...
which Harnoncourt founded. The CMW first toured North America in 1966, including its Boston debut for the
Peabody Mason Concert series. Subsequent American tours followed in 1968 and in 1971.
Nikolaus Harnoncourt retired from the CMW and from conducting in general in December 2015. In parallel with her husband's retirement, Alice Harnoncourt retired from the CMW. In succession to Alice Harnoncourt, the current leader of the ensemble (
concertmaster
The concertmaster (from the German language, German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (UK) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (clarinet or oboe in a concert band). After the Conducting, conductor, the concertma ...
) is Erich Höbarth. In succession to Nikolaus Harnoncourt, the CMW's current artistic leader is the harpsichordist . The ensemble's current manager is Maximilian Harnoncourt, grandson of Nikolaus and Alice Harnoncourt.
Recordings
The CMW made their first recording in 1962, of music for viols by
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell (, rare: ; September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer of Baroque music, most remembered for his more than 100 songs; a tragic opera, Dido and Aeneas, ''Dido and Aeneas''; and his incidental music to a version o ...
, for the Telefunken label.
This recording began a long recording relationship with
Telefunken
Telefunken was a German radio and television producer, founded in Berlin in 1903 as a joint venture between Siemens & Halske and the ''AEG (German company), Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft'' (AEG) ("General electricity company").
Prior to ...
, later
Teldec, that continued into the 1990s. Among the CMW's recording projects with Telefunken and Teldec was their participation in the complete cycle of cantatas of
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
, over the period from 1971 to 1990. The cantatas were split between two conductors, on the one hand the CMW and Harnoncourt, and on the other
Gustav Leonhardt
Gustav Maria Leonhardt (30 May 1928 – 16 January 2012) was a Dutch keyboardist, conductor, musicologist, teacher and editor. He was a leading figure in the historically informed performance movement to perform music on period instruments.
Leo ...
and the
Leonhardt-Consort. In addition to their long series of recordings for Telefunken and Teldec, the CMW has made commercial recordings for other labels such as
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi and
Sony Classical. The CMW's final commercial recordings with Nikolaus Harnoncourt were two recordings of music of
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
, the
4th and
5th Symphonies and the ''
Missa solemnis
is Latin for Solemn Mass.[Mass]
, ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. N.p., Appleton, 1910. 797. and is a genre of < ...
'', the latter being Harnoncourt's final recording.
Honors and awards
* 1990 and 1991, German Record Critics' Prize –
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
's
opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
''
Lucio Silla'' and
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti.
Born in Halle, Germany, H ...
's
oratorio
An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble.
Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...
''
Theodora'', respectively
* 1990, Gramophone Award for Special Achievement – Recording of the complete Bach cantatas
* 1995, Cannes Classical Award – J.S. Bach's ''
St John Passion'' (BWV 245)
* 1996–1997, top awards from three different French music publications – recordings of Mozart's ''
Il re pastore'',
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...
concertos, and J.S. Bach
motets
In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the preeminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to the Engl ...
References
External links
*
Concentus Musicus Wien styriarte
History of the Concentus Musicus Wien from the official Nikolaus Harnoncourt website*
*
{{Authority control
Concentus musicus Wien
Musical groups established in 1953
Orchestras in Vienna
1953 establishments in Austria