The concert programme “Telemann Goes East” can also be heard on the new album “Folk Baroque” (Brilliant Classics). The album title could almost describe a new genre in its own right, representing a synthesis of composition and improvisation. Taking Telemann’s Rostock Manuscript – a collection of traditional Polish melodies, some with a bass part – as their starting point, the artists have incorporated the melodies into their own compositions and linked the works with improvised transitions. A wide variety of playing techniques is employed, and the “Baroque” repertoire combines with vibrant folk-music traditions to create often astonishingly modern sound colours, playfully breaking beyond the boundaries of “classical” early music in the narrower sense.

In live performance, the musicians’ irrepressible joy in playing, wit and humour naturally come across particularly well, especially as the programme also has a few visual surprises in store. We were there too and thoroughly enjoyed both seeing and hearing the live concert! The new album “Folk Baroque”, which will be released in Germany by Brilliant Classics on 1 June, likewise conveys a great deal of this joy in music-making, while the virtuosity and technical mastery of these historically informed performance specialists are impressive in every respect.

Erik Bosgraaf can be heard live in Germany in June at the Bachfest Leipzig (17 June), together with the vocal ensemble amarcord, and at the Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci (27 June), once again with filoBarocco and the programme “Telemann Goes East”.

Erik Bosgraaf is internationally regarded as one of today’s most distinguished recorder players – and undoubtedly one of the most adventurous. The Dutch musician also works as a conductor. For Bosgraaf, the recorder is an inexhaustible source of inspiration with virtually unlimited possibilities. His repertoire ranges from medieval music to contemporary works. He improvises, plays jazz, uses electronics and regularly collaborates with artists from other fields on cross-genre projects. As a soloist, he performs with leading orchestras around the world and is frequently invited to direct ensembles himself – from the recorder, from the harpsichord or from the conductor’s podium. Numerous award-winning CD recordings document the remarkable breadth of his artistic work.

filoBarocco consists of its core members Francesco Facchini (violin), Carlo Maria Paulesu (cello) and Marco Baronchelli (lute), together with international guest soloists and chamber musicians.

The ensemble was founded in 2018 and in the same year received a special award for the “best artistic project” at the international “Marcello Pontillo” competition. The ensemble has been invited to numerous international festivals and venues, including the Ambronay Festival, the Göttingen International Handel Festival, the Narodowe Forum Muzyki Wrocław, the Festival de Torroella de Montgrí, the Sofia Baroque Arts Festival and Ghislieri Musica. From 2020 to 2023, filoBarocco was selected for the prestigious EEEmerging programme (a European Union-supported project for emerging ensembles) and was invited to artistic residencies in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Latvia, the United Kingdom and Romania.

(Photo Credit: Wei Hung)