The Ensemble Madrigal (Moscow) is an early music group. It was formed in 1965 by the
Russian composer and
harpsichord
A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...
player
Andrey Volkonsky Prince Andrei Mikhaylovich Volkonsky (also ''Andrey, André, Mikhailovich, Michailovich, Volkonski, Volkonskiy'') (russian: Андрей Михайлович Волконский; 14 February 1933 – 16 September 2008) was a Russian composer of cla ...
to perform Russian and Western
sacred music of the
Middle Ages,
Renaissance, and
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
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
Oleg (russian: Олег), Oleh ( uk, Олег), or Aleh ( be, Алег) is an East Slavic given name. The name is very common in Russia, Ukraine and Belаrus. It derives from the Old Norse ''Helgi'' ( Helge), meaning "holy", "sacred", or "blesse ...
, and since 1993 by the singer
Lydia Davydova Lydia Anatolyevna Davydova (Russian: Лидия Анатольевна Давыдова) (19 January 1932 – 2 March 2011) was a Russian soprano, harpsichordist and a chamber music performer. As a singer her repertoire encompassed on one extreme ...
.
As the name suggests, the ensemble specializes in
madrigals and other secular genres of
Renaissance and
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
. 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.
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)
References
External links
Official website
at Classical Archives
{{Authority control
Madrigal Ensemble, (Moscow)
Musical groups established in 1965