ENGNovember 4th
Since its creation, Ensemble Masques has deliberately chosen to explore different repertoires from the 17th and 18th centuries, rather than confine itself to one style or genre. This curiosity, inseparable from its identity, reflects the reality of composition in the Baroque period, in which different influences, including the French style, found their way into the music of many European composers. This has led the Ensemble to take an in-depth look at Germanic music of the 17th century, to reveal Telemann's universalism and humanism, and to take an interest in the initiatory journey of the 'Grand Tour', all artistic choices underpinned by a taste for exchange, mixing, borrowing and blending.
Renowned for many years both in France and internationally, the Ensemble performs regularly in Germany, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Austria and the Netherlands, and in major concert halls and series such as the Musiekgebouw in Amsterdam, the Wigmore Hall in London, the Utrecht Early Music Festival, Bozar in Brussels, La Folle Journée in Tokyo, the St Petersburg Early Music Festival, AMUZ in Antwerp and the Bijloke in Ghent. He has also given concerts in most of the major North American centres, including New York, Washington, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Los Angeles.
An exclusive artist for the Alpha Classics label, his recordings of the 17th-century Austrian composers Johann Heinrich Schmelzer and the almost unknown Romanus Weichlein have been unanimously acclaimed by the critics, receiving the Diapason d'Or, the ffff from Télérama, 'Chocs' from Classica and the 'Editor's Choice' award from Gramophone Magazine. He has also recorded works by Dietrich Buxtehude with the Vox Luminis ensemble, a CD that won a Gramophone Award. In June 2022, he released a CD devoted to the Leipzig cantor's Overture-Suites, which to date has attracted almost 2 million listens on streaming platforms. The last album released was devoted to an oratorio by the Italian composer Giovanni Legrenzi, which received excellent reviews in international opera publications. Other critically acclaimed albums on the ATMA, Dorian and Analekta labels include Jean-Philippe Rameau's Pièces de clavecin en concert and Bach concerti, a CD that was named 'Best Recorded Version' by Diapason magazine.
Since its creation, Ensemble Masques has deliberately chosen to explore different repertoires from the 17th and 18th centuries, rather than confine itself to one style or genre. This curiosity, inseparable from its identity, reflects the reality of composition in the Baroque period, in which different influences, including the French style, found their way into the music of many European composers. This has led the Ensemble to take an in-depth look at Germanic music of the 17th century, to reveal Telemann's universalism and humanism, and to take an interest in the initiatory journey of the 'Grand Tour', all artistic choices underpinned by a taste for exchange, mixing, borrowing and blending.
Renowned for many years both in France and internationally, the Ensemble performs regularly in Germany, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Austria and the Netherlands, and in major concert halls and series such as the Musiekgebouw in Amsterdam, the Wigmore Hall in London, the Utrecht Early Music Festival, Bozar in Brussels, La Folle Journée in Tokyo, the St Petersburg Early Music Festival, AMUZ in Antwerp and the Bijloke in Ghent. He has also given concerts in most of the major North American centres, including New York, Washington, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Los Angeles.
An exclusive artist for the Alpha Classics label, his recordings of the 17th-century Austrian composers Johann Heinrich Schmelzer and the almost unknown Romanus Weichlein have been unanimously acclaimed by the critics, receiving the Diapason d'Or, the ffff from Télérama, 'Chocs' from Classica and the 'Editor's Choice' award from Gramophone Magazine. He has also recorded works by Dietrich Buxtehude with the Vox Luminis ensemble, a CD that won a Gramophone Award. In June 2022, he released a CD devoted to the Leipzig cantor's Overture-Suites, which to date has attracted almost 2 million listens on streaming platforms. The last album released was devoted to an oratorio by the Italian composer Giovanni Legrenzi, which received excellent reviews in international opera publications. Other critically acclaimed albums on the ATMA, Dorian and Analekta labels include Jean-Philippe Rameau's Pièces de clavecin en concert and Bach concerti, a CD that was named 'Best Recorded Version' by Diapason magazine.
November 15th
"Per Brahe's Travels " / Finnland/ Mats Lillhannus (tenor), Mikko Ikaheimo ( lute)
Mats Lillhannus is a tenor specialising in early music, music writer, editor, and sound engineer living in Turku (Åbo), Finland. After receiving his Master’s degree in musicology in 2001, he has established himself as a professional singer, working both as a soloist and as an ensemble singer. Lillhannus has worked with many choirs and ensembles both in Finland and abroad. In addition to his studies in musicology, Lillhannus has studied singing privately with Veikko Kiiver (Stockholm), Evelyn Tubb (Basel), and Kevin Smith (Malmö). In 2010, he graduated from the AVES (Advanced Vocal Ensemble Studies) postgraduate programme at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.
Lutenist and guitarist Mikko Ikäheimo studied music at the Sibelius-Academy in Finland, Basel Musik Akademie in Switzerland and ESMUC in Barcelona Spain. He was a laureate in several competitions and won the Stafford Guitar Competition 2003 in Great Britain. Now based in Helsinki, Ikäheimo works mostly with period instruments such as lutes and early guitars.
November 22nd
Daumants Liepiņš, mentioned by Pianist Magazine as “one of the pianists to look for in 2020” is one of the most sought after Latvian pianists worldwide. Critics describe him as "sensitive, imaginative, in full command of his instrument’s resources, effortlessly keeping the listener transfixed" after the release of his first solo album “Zemzaris. Rachmaninov”. He is a laureate of numerous piano competitions, most notably 1st prize at Vendome Prize competition at Verbier festival, 1st prize at Maria Canals Piano Competition and 2nd prize at George Enescu Piano Competition. Daumants’ orchestra appearances include Royal Liverpool Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, Bilbao and Tenerife symphony orchestras, Latvian National Symphony orchestra, Belgian National Symphony orchestra, Flanders Symphony orchestra, Romanian and Georgian National Symphony orchestras and many others. Currently Daumants is residing in Madrid and continuing his studies at Escuela Superior de música Reina Sofía. Daumants is represented by Nordic Artists Management.
Aurelia Shimkus (Aurēlija Šimkus) is a Latvian pianist. She started playing the piano at the age of four and gave her first public concert in 2005.Two years later she won first prize at the Latvian Competition for Young Pianists.
December 2nd Massimo Mercelli ( flute) / Italy/ , Aina Kalnciema (harpsichord)
Massimo Mercelli is the flutist in the world who boasts the most important dedications and collaborations with major composers: the likes of Penderecki, Gubaidulina, Glass, Nyman, Bacalov, Galliano, Morricone, Galliano , Sollima, Piovani and Gabriel Prokofiev have written for him or performed premieres.
Self-taught and then a pupil of the famous flutists Maxence Larrieu and André Jaunet, at the age of nineteen he became first flute at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, won the "Premio Francesco Cilea", the "Concorso Internazionale Giornate Musicali" and two editions of the "Concorso Internazionale di Stresa".
Massimo plays regularly at major concert venues around the world: Carnegie Hall in New York, Herculessaal and Gasteig in Munich, NCPA in Beijing, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Teatro alla Scala, Auditorium RAI in Turin, Victoria Hall in Geneva, San Martin in the Fields and Wigmore Hall in London, Parco della Musica in Rome, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, UN auditorium in New York, Great Hall of Mozarteum in Salzburg Berlin Philharmonic and Moscow Philharmonic and in the Festivals of Ljubljana, Berlin, Santander, Vilnius, St. Petersburg, Bonn, Cervantino Festival, Rheingau, Jerusalem, Warsaw, collaborating with artists such as Yuri Bashmet, Valery Gergiev, Krzysztof Penderecki, Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, Massimo Quarta, Ennio Morricone, Luis Bacalov, Peter-Lukas Graf, Maxence Larrieu, Aurèle Nicolet, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Ramin Bahrami, Albrecht Mayer, Gabor Boldowsky, Jiri Belolhavec, Federico Mondelci, John Malkovich, Igudesman & Joo, Jan Latham-Koenig, Catherine Spaak, Susanna MildonianIn November 2018 he was the only Italian invited to participate in the Festival for Krysztof Penderecki's 85th birthday at the Warsaw Philharmonic.
In 2019, for his birthday, he performed Michael Nyman's Concerto No. 2, dedicated to him, at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, and in 2020, also at the Teatro alla Scala, Ennio Morricone's Notturno Passacaglia, also dedicated to him; in 2021, at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan he performed alongside John Malkovich. In 2022, he has been a soloist in the "Dante concerto" written for him by Gabriel Prokofiev and in 2023, with I Solisti Veneti in the premiere performance of 3 concertos for flute and orchestra dedicated to him composed by Oscar winner Nicola Piovani .