Florilegium

Florilegium, a compact period-instrument ensemble, has earned recognition among Britain’s foremost early-music ensembles through appearances at leading international halls. Its programs span the High Baroque through the early Romantic era, and the group maintains an exceptionally extensive discography. The ensemble originated in 1991 when harpsichordist Neal Peres da Costa and flutist Ashley Solomon, who now serves as its director, established the ensemble. Although its regular roster consists of five musicians, Florilegium enlarges as needed for orchestral and choral repertoire. A decisive step forward occurred with a three-year term as Ensemble in Residence at London’s Wigmore Hall between 1998 and 2000. Additional engagements have taken the players to the Frick Collection in New York, the Beethovenhaus in Bonn, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colón, Singapore’s Esplanade, and the Sydney Opera House. Among the singers who have joined them are Emma Kirkby and Elin Manahan Thomas.

The ensemble has also held the post of Ensemble in Association at the Royal College of Music, where members mentor students in eighteenth-century Baroque repertory. Its highest profile, however, stems from recording work that commenced in 1993 with a Channel Classics release devoted to Telemann chamber music. With rare exceptions, the Dutch label has remained the group’s exclusive outlet. Numerous discs have attracted strong critical notice in the Netherlands and elsewhere, and several have earned or been shortlisted for significant prizes. A 2008 collection of Bach cantatas with Dutch soprano Johannette Zomer received the Edison Award, the Netherlands’ foremost classical honor. The same year, the ensemble’s album Baroque Music from Bolivian Missions earned a nomination for a BBC Music Magazine award. In 2014 the twenty-fifth release, Bach’s complete Brandenburg Concertos, secured a Luister 10 Award in the Netherlands. During 2018, while touring major British cities, Florilegium issued a recording of Telemann’s Essercizii Musici.