Concerti Grossi – The Birth of the Orchestra

Concerto grosso is the name of a musical form in which a smaller group of soloists both challenges and collaborates with the larger ensemble in a lively musical dialogue. We follow Georg Muffat, the French-born cosmopolitan who travelled across Europe to unite French elegance with Italian energy. With Arcangelo Corelli as his principal inspiration, he helped lay the foundations of the orchestral sound we recognise today.

The programme is complemented by works by Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, whose music shows how the new style conquered the courts of Central Europe. Orpheus Baroque is led by the Spanish harpsichordist Julio Caballero Pérez from the award-winning ensemble El Gran Teatro del Mundo.

Orpheus Baroque Stockholm was founded in 2015 and has established itself as one of the leading Nordic ensembles for early music. The ensemble brings together musicians from the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and distinguished freelance Baroque specialists. Its artistic directors are the orchestra’s principal cellist Johannes Rostamo and the lutenist Jonas Nordberg. As guest directors, Orpheus Baroque regularly invites leading musicians from the Swedish and international early music scene.