United Continuo Ensemble

Since its formation in 1995 under Jörg Meder, the United Continuo Ensemble has supplied expert basso continuo players to numerous orchestras and chamber ensembles for historically informed readings of Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical repertoire. The group concentrates on realizing figured bass—the Baroque shorthand system for harmony—and on a broad array of period instruments including cello, violone, theorbo, bassoon, serpent, lute, harpsichord, and organ that traditionally anchored bass lines and chordal support in earlier music. Beyond standard concert work, the ensemble has taken part in dance presentations, operatic stagings, and has carved out space in crossover and experimental projects as well. Initial festival engagements took place inside Germany, after which the musicians toured in France, Poland, Greece, Lithuania, Mexico, and the United States. Partnerships have included the Pegasustheater in Waldems, the Freien Tanztheater of Frankfurt, and the Cracovia Danza Court Festival in Krakow; the players also appeared in the dance-theater work O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort during EXPO 2000. Operatic credits encompass the 2008 mounting of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Les Fêtes d’Hébé at Bayreuth’s Margravial Opera House and the 2012 revival of Christian Ludwig Boxberg’s Sardanapalus at Gotha’s Ekhof Theatre. The United Continuo Ensemble has made recordings for Pan Classics.