Description
Old and new sounds collide - and merge into a musical universe that is as radical as it is poetic. The album 'Continuum XXI -Music of Extremes' combines Baroque masterpieces and contemporary compositions on historical instruments, thus continuing an idea that the ensemble has pursued since its foundation: understanding tradition in order to make the present audible. At the heart of it all is the tension between opposites: anger and fragility, order and chaos, silence and eruptive sound. Telemann meets Ligeti, Monteverdi meets Lazkano, Rebel meets Berio - connected by a shared aesthetic approach. Mechanical soundscapes, microtonal nuances, physical noisiness and expressive affects condense into a dialogue spanning centuries. Works such as Ligeti's Continuum and Alberto Arroyo's MELODIA MECHANICA II push the harpsichord to its physical limits, while Monteverdi's Entrata e ballo and Telemann's Trio Sonata shed new light on Baroque expressiveness. Continuum XXI, with its unusual instrumentation of recorder, Baroque violin, viola da gamba and harpsichord, is one of the most innovative European ensembles for historical instruments. International awards, world premieres by renowned composers and interdisciplinary collaborations characterise its work.
