Göteborg Baroque (Baroque Ensemble)

Founded: 2003 - Göteborg, Sweden

Göteborg Baroque was founded in 2003 by the artistic director Magnus Kjellson who conducts the ensemble traditionally as a performing conductor from the keyboard of the organ or harpsichord. Göteborg Baroque makes its home and presents its general program series at the Christinae Church in Göteborg. The ensemble regularly performs important and well-known works from the Baroque period but also presents less famous musical pearls, often re-premiering works that have been ignored for hundreds of years.

Göteborg Baroque recently received a substantial donation from Sten A Olsson Foundation for Research and Culture that made it possible for the ensemble to let build a claviorganum; a combination instrument of a harpsichord and an organ. In the middle of the 18^th century, when George Frideric Handel was at the pinnacle of his career, he led singers and instrumentalists from a similar instrument of his design. Funding was also made available for the ensemble to realize three musical dream projects, the first of which was a new staged performance of Monteverdi’s Orfeo, a public success in January 2018. The performance got reviews like: ”on the absolute musical top level in Sweden” and ”World-class performance of Monteverdi”

The second project was the world premiere of the claviorganum in February 2019 as part of Göteborg Baroque’s 15^th anniversary. The last will be several performances of J.S. Bach's Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 in 2020 in co-operation with the renowned Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble.

”So there is nothing to hide behind. Everything is audible. And it becomes just as naked and personal as it can be. Every single solo is clear and devoted, and the consonance between the ten singers is perfect” - This quote from a review in GöteborgsPosten is from April 2019 when Göteborg Baroque performed Dietrich Buxtehude: Membra Jesu Nostri, as a part of their 15^th anniversary!

Sources:
Göteborg Baroque Website & Facebook page
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (September 2021)

Magnus Kjellson: Short Biography | Ensembles: Göteborg Baroque
Bach Discography: Recordings of Vocal Works

Links to other Sites

Göteborg Baroque (Official Website) [mostly Swedish]
Göteborg Baroque page on Facebook