Lautten Compagney

The Lautten Compagney is one of the most renowned and creative baroque instrumental ensembles in Germany. Their concerts, under the artistic direction of Wolfgang Katschner, have fascinated audiences for almost three decades. With their infectious joy in performing and their innovative concepts, these “early musicians” effortlessly translate the musical language of the Baroque to the  present. Whether it’s as a solo chamber ensemble or an opera orchestra, the ensemble is continually crossing boundaries and seeking out encounters with new sounds and other art forms. The ensemble has received numerous awards for its exciting musical collaborations. For its CD recording of the program Timeless, combining early Baroque music with works by Philip Glass, it received an ECHO Klassik award in 2010. And their winning  the Rheingau Musik Prize 2012 was in recognition of the Lautten Compagney’s creative concert programming.

The ensemble has a particular interest in music theater, especially the works of George Frideric Handel. Their performances of Handel’s Serse on a tour of New Zealand in 2011 took both audiences and press by storm. Their production of Rinaldo, a collaboration with the Milan puppet company Carlo Colla e Figli, was enthusiastically received by young and old alike.

The Lautten Compagney is a regular guest at leading national and international concert halls and festivals, including the Konzerthaus and Radialsystem V in Berlin, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Frauenkirche Dresden, Concertgebouw  Amsterdam, Vienna Musikverein, Warsaw Philharmonic, Rheingau Musik Festival, Handel Festival Halle, Mosel Musikfestival, Boswiler Sommer, Lucerne Festival, Utrecht Early Music Festival and the Tage Alter Musik in Herne.

Twice a year, Wolfgang Katschner and the Lautten Compagney invite audiences to join them at AEQUINOX, a music festival for the equinox in Neuruppin, Brandenburg.

Recently two new CDs have been released: “Time Zones” (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi) combining music by Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654) with music by Erik Satie and “Redemption” (Alpha), together with soprano Anna Prohaska, devoted to Arias and other music from Bach Cantatas.