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 Sigiswald, Wieland and Barthold Kuijken
and Robert Kohnen
News
Sigiswald Kuijken
Baroque violin
Born in 1944 near Brussels, Sigiswald completed his music studies at the Bruges and Brussels Conservatories, where he received his final diploma for violin in 1964. From the age of seven he came in contact with Renaissance music and instruments and with his brother Wieland he became self-taught in gamba playing. This early and mostly intuitive contact with ancient music strongly influenced his playing of the baroque repertoire on the violin.
In 1969 Sigiswald Kuijken began to re-establish the old technique of violin playing, i.e. without using chin rest or shoulder rest, and without holding the instrument with the chin at all. This technique has influenced and convinced many other players since that time and Sigiswald Kuijken has continued to teach this technique at the Hague Conservatory since 1971.
As a member of the Alarius Ensemble of Brussels (1964-1972, exploring 17th and 18th century music and performance practice), and in various combinations with his brothers, Wieland and Barthold, and also with Robert Kohnen, Gustav Leonhardt, Sigiswald Kuijken has toured Europe, the USA, Australia and Japan, in chamber music and solo programs.
Sigiswald has recorded most of Bach's major chamber music and solo violin repertoire as well as Corelli, Vivaldi, Muffat, Mozart.
In 1972 he formed a baroque orchestra called 'La Petite Bande'. With this ensemble he recorded music by Lully, Rameau, Händel, Gluch, Haydn and Mozart. He also appears as guest conductor of various other baroque orchestras, including the 'Age of Enlightment', whose debut concert he directed at the Queen Elisabeth Hall in June 1986.
In 1986 the Kuijken String Quartet was formed, which specialises in the quartet repertoire of Haydn and Mozart. Since 1993, Sigiswald Kuijken teaches the baroque violin at the Brussels Conservatory.
Wieland Kuijken
Viola da gamba
Wieland Kuijken was born in 1938 at Dilbeek near Brussels. He studied cello and piano at the Municipal Conservatory in Bruges, concluding his studies in 1962 with award of the Higher Certificate in cello from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.
In addition to his formal studies, he developed a special interest in the performance of old music on historical instruments. At the age of eighteen he began to teach himself the viola da gamba.
He began his musical career with the Brussels Alarius Eensemble with whom he worked between 1959 and 1972. At the same time he worked with the Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles, performing avant-garde music throughout Europe.
Over the years he established a solid international career through numerous concerts and recordings with his brothers Sigiswald and Barthold as well as with Gustav Leonhardt, Frans Brüggen, Alfred Deller, Robert Kohnen and others. Since 1971 he has taught gamba at the Conservatories of the Hague and Brussels and frequently serves on the juries of international competitions held in cities such as Bruges, Paris, Boston and Utrecht.
He is a founder member of La Petite Bande, and since 1987 has been cellist with the Kuijken String Quartet. He has frequently performed the complete suites for cello solo by J.S. Bach and, together with Jan Vermeulen, Beethoven's sonatas and variations for cello and pianoforte.
Barthold Kuijken
Flute/recorder
Barthold Kuijken was born in 1949. He grew up in a musical environment; two of his elder brothers were studying music and had become interested in early music and instruments. Barthold studied modern flute at the Bruges Conservatory and the Royal Conservatories of Brussels and The Hague. In playing early music he originally turned to the recorder, but while studying, he had the good fortune to find a splendid original baroque flute. Research on authentic instruments, frequent collaboration with various flute and recorder makers, and assiduous study of 17th and 18th century sources helped him to specialize in the performance of early music on original instruments. At the same time, on the Boehm-flute, he was a member of the ensemble "Musiques Nouvelles", focusing on avant-garde music. He then played with his brothers Wieland (viola da gamba and baroque cello) and Sigiswald (baroque violin and viola da gamba), with René Jacobs (countertenor), Paul Dombrecht (baroque oboe), Lucy van Dael (baroque violin), and with the harpsichordists Robert Kohnen, Gustav Leonhardt and Bob van Asperen. For many years he was baroque flutist in the orchestra "Collegium Aureum", and he continues to play this instrument in "La petite Bande" direceted by his brother Sigiswald. Additionally, he plays chamber music concerts throughout the world, extending his repertory to early 19th-century music (with the fortepianist Luc Devos). He has recorded for Sony classical, Harmonia Mundi - BMG, Philips - Seon, Accent, Arcana). Besides his activities as a flute and recorder player, he is now appearing frequently as a conductor. His scholarly work includes a new annotated Urtext edition of J.S. Bach’s flute compositions (for Breitkopf & Härtel). Barthold teaches baroque flute at the Royal Conservatories of Brussels and The Hague and adjudicates at international competitions.
Robert Kohnen
Harpsichord
Robert Kohnen (harpsichord) was born in 1932 in St.-Vith, Belgium, and studied organ at the Lemmens Institute, Malines, and the Brussels Conservatory. As a harpsichordist, he is self-taught. He was one of the founders of the Alarius Ensemble in 1954, and played an important part in the evolution of the unique approach to baroque literature of this group, and subsequently of the Kuijken Quartet - an approach which has brought them world renown. With them and also as a soloist he has given many recitals throughout Europe, in Japan, Israel and North America. From 1960 to 1971 he was a member of the Brussels-based "Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles", specialising in the performance of avant-garde music, together with the Kuijken brothers. In 1980, he toured the US and Canada as a representative of the Belgian Government in honour of the 150th anniversary of Belgian independence. In 1997 he retired as harpsichord professor at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, but continues teaching at numerous international masterclasses. As a continuo player he has made numerous recordings with other leading baroque specialists (Barthold, Sigiswald and Wieland Kuijken; Paul Dombrecht, Danny Bond, René Jacobs etc.). His solo recordings include compositions by J.S. Bach, J.J. Fux, F. Couperin, J.Ph. Rameau, J. Haydn.
Management:
Robert Slotover
e: robert@alliedartists.co.uk
t: 020 7589 6243
f: 020 7581 5269
Representation:
UK
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