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Since its founding in 1970, the Collegium Instrumentale Brugense (= CIB) has established its identity as a group of like-minded musicians, which under the professional direction of Patrick Peire explores in depth the character and style of each composition. Therefore the CIB has now an acknowledged and renowned place amongst the specialised.
From its beginning, the musicians and its director have striven towards a particular way of performing in which the individual musical expression of each period is studied and applied as strictly as possible. Despite the search for authenticity, CIB plays on modern instruments, and this choice is deliberately taken for two reasons. First of all, this widens the scope of the repertoire, and secondly it enables top quality performances even in less favourable acoustic concert halls. The quality of the orchestra is ensured by a fixed core of players, extended with string- en wind players when necessary.
Through its collaboration with the Capella Brugensis, CIB has a broad scope of possibilities in programming genres (instrumental and/or vocal) as well as early-, baroque-, classical-, romantic- and 20th Century repertoire. The orchestra also created several commissions of Belgian contemporary composers. The musicological background of conductor Patrick Peire ensures the “authenticity” of each individual work.
Patrick Peire’s (also musicologist) interest in Flemish music leads him to many music archives, searching successfully for forgotten (flemish) masterpieces which he then records with the CIB and the Capella Brugensis on CD. Highlights in this field are Georg Philipp Telemann’s Brockes Passion (TWV 5:1) and St. John Passion (Eufoda), Delalande’s Te Deum, Campra’s Requiem and last but not least the recently discovered compositions of the 18th century choirmasters of the St. Michael’s Cathedral in Brussel (Fiocco, Bréhy and Van Helmont - Eufoda).
CIB has been rewarded in 1996 a nomination in the category “Opera Recording” for the important American discographic Grammy Award for its participation with the Capella Brugensis in the opera Tancredi by Rossini recorded on the Naxos label. In the meantime a second recording has been released on this internationally distributed label; Solemn Vespers by W.A. Mozart (Naxos). Over the years the discography of choir and orchestra has reached the number of forty. In April 1996 the CIB has been also rewarded the Prize of the “Municipal Cultural Council” in Bruges. The orchestra receives subventions of the Flemish Government, the Province of West-Flanders, and the City of Bruges.
In 2000 CIB celebrated its 30th anniversary: 30 years of vocal expertise, instrumental virtuosity and a refined musical direction, a combination that one rarely encounters!
In 2001 some large-scale projects has been programmed: In March they give three concerts in the cathedral of Oirschot (NL), in collaboration with the Dutch foundation “Stabat Mater”. Three Stabat Maters by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi and P.A. Fiocco are programmed. Moreover the Stabat Mater of the latter will be a world creation and will be broadcasted on the Dutch Television (KRO). Further, choir and orchestra will undertake a concert tour in Spain with performances in the Iglesia de San Jerónimo el Real in Madrid (openingsconcert of the 11th Festival of Religious Music), and in the prestigeous Palau de la Musica in Barcelona. The programme, Georg Frideric Handel’s Messiah, will be retaken in series in three Belgian coast cities, Knokke, Nieuwpoort, De Haan and Hardelot at the French coast. |
