Ensemble
The Renaissance-Baroque Ensemble La Primavera was founded in 1995 and currently comprises Argentinian soprano Gaia Szames, Brazilian theorbist Regina Albanez, and Dutch viol player Maaike Boekholt.
The ensemble's name, La Primavera (The Spring), refers to the "musical springtime" that occurred during the transition from the late Renaissance to the Baroque period. Music from this era forms the core of the ensemble's repertoire, with an emphasis on vocal and instrumental works by South European Baroque composers. The ensemble aspires to make this music accessible to broader audiences while enhancing the musical freedom and expressive qualities of this repertoire.
This has led to innovative projects and collaborative programs with artists including actor Frank Groothof in music-theater productions for children, and visual artists Gerard de Bruyne and José Vingerling.
Over more than twenty-five years, La Primavera has performed worldwide and participated in prestigious festivals including: France (Abbaye de Royaumont, Festival de l'Abbaye d'Ambronay), Germany (Munich, Berliner Tage für alte Musik), Belgium (Festival van Vlaanderen Brugge/Antwerpen, Festival van Wallonie), Austria (Konzerthaus Wien, Innsbrucker Festwochen der alten Musik), Portugal (Encontros de Música da Casa de Mateus), Poland (Wratislavia Cantans/Wrocław, Warsaw Philharmonic, Bydgoszcz Philharmonic), Brazil (Festival de Música Antiga de Campinas, São Paulo), Bulgaria (Varna Summer Festival), and the Netherlands (Festival of Early Music Utrecht, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Netwerk Oude Muziek).
Photo: Magdalena Kasprzyk-Dobija
In 1996, La Primavera won third prize and the award for best ensemble of the Netherlands at the Van Wassenaer Competition. Two years later, at the same competition, they received second prize and the audience award for best ensemble.
La Primavera has performed on live radio and television programs on France Musiques, Radio Classique, Radio Suisse Romande/Espace 2, AVRO, NPS, VRT3, RTBF, and VRT-TV.
La Primavera's first CD, "Va Donna Ingrata," featuring 17th-century Italian and Spanish works, was released under the Zig Zag Territoires label. Their second CD, "Concerto delle Donne," released under the Ligia Digital label, includes works by 17th-century Italian women composers. These were followed by two recordings on Etcetera: a CD featuring Telemann's chamber music and "Dolci Sospiri" with vocal and instrumental music by A. Falconieri.
Their new album, "Primavera Amorosa," has just been released to commemorate the ensemble's 25th anniversary.
