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Balkan Baroque Band

Photo: I.Gadeleva
A new Balkan Baroque Band has been founded. The idea belongs to the French flute-player Jean-Christoff Frisch who has been working for years with various artists on the project Nomad Baroque. He looks for music sources which foster the mixing of European baroque music with the traditional music of exotic countries such as China, India and the Philippines.
When by accident he discovered an interesting manuscript in Transylvania, Frisch received the invitation to set up a baroque orchestra in Romania. The maestro got an even better idea – to gather together young musicians from the Balkans where the baroque music is still uncharted territory and is not part of local traditions.
It took about a year for Frisch and his partners to set up the band. To his aid came the French Cultural Institute in the city of Thessaloniki in Greece. The first concert of the newly set up band was there. Listen one of its concert performances.

You’ve just listened to a recording from the concert of Balkan Baroque Band which took place on 3rd November 2010 in Thessaloniki. The band consists of 18 musicians, among them violinist Ivan Iliev who performs with Concerto Antico.
The work of the newly established band was very intensive and emotional. Rehearsals were held in 6 to 7 different languages and the only requirement was for musicians to play on baroque music instruments. The repertoire was made both of famous and not so famous baroque composers. Jean-Kristoff Frisch explained to the musicians the different approach required to play baroque music. Hence Hendel was presented as a Saxon in England while Scarlatti as the composer who introduced Italian-style music to Portugal and Spain. The encore was music from the manuscript discovered by Frisch in Transylvania. The manuscript belonged to composer Mark Rosenthal who combined his own scores with elements of Hungarian folk music.
Frisch and the Balkan Baroque Band are invited to perform in France and hope to tour the Balkan countries next year. Next is the concert’s encore by Mark Rosenthal.  

English version: Delian Zahariev
По публикацията работи: Irena Gadeleva


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