Musica Angelica is an internationally renowned Baroque orchestra based in Long Beach, California and led by music director
Martin Haselböck
Martin Haselböck (born 23 November 1954, Vienna, Austria) is the Austrian musical director of Musica Angelica in Long Beach, California, United States, and the musical director and founder of the Orchester Wiener Akademie. He is also a professor a ...
, award-winning organist, conductor, and composer. Musica Angelica is dedicated to the historically informed performance of Baroque and early Classical music on period instruments. Its programs include a mixture of known masterworks by composers such as Bach, Handel and Vivaldi, along with rarely heard ‘musical gems’ by lesser-known composers.
History and Musicians
Musica Angelica was founded in 1992 by lutenist Michael Eagan and gambist Mark Chatfield. Since its inception, Musica Angelica has produced an annual subscription season of orchestral and chamber concerts in venues throughout greater Los Angeles. In addition, the orchestra performs and collaborates with esteemed institutions both here and abroad, including the Long Beach Opera, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Pacific Chorale,
Los Angeles Opera
The Los Angeles Opera is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.
Leadersh ...
, Orange County Philharmonic Society, Mark Morris Dance Group, Orchëster Wiener Akademie, Tölzer Boys Choir, the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Norton Simon Museum. Musica Angelica also creates memorable programs with world-acclaimed artists such as Marion Verbruggen, Suzie LeBlanc, Vittorio Ghielmi, Rachel Podger, Elizabeth Wallfisch, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Giovanni Antonini and Harry Bicket.
Musica Angelica's first international tour, distinguished by sold-out performances and wide critical acclaim, took place in March 2007 in a joint venture with Haselböck's Orchester Wiener Akademie. The ensemble presented 13 performances of Bach's St. Matthew Passion in the U.S., Mexico and Europe. In September and October 2010, the orchestra completed a successful four-country tour of South America as well, with performances taking place in top concert halls throughout the continent. In May 2011 the orchestra made its Vienna debut with a sold-out performance of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. Musica Angelica has also toured three times throughout South America and most recently presented three opera performances at the Palacio Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
A visionary Music Director, Martin Haselböck often brings a new twist to performances by combining traditional Baroque music with avant-garde multimedia. One of his creations, “The Infernal Comedy,” starring
John Malkovich
John Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Aw ...
, was premiered by Musica Angelica in Santa Monica and enjoyed 50 repeat performances throughout Europe. In fall of 2011, Musica Angelica toured the Americas with The Infernal Comedy, performing 16 concerts in ten cities to sold-out audiences totaling over 23,000.
In 2007, Musica Angelica raised its profile with a contract for four recordings on the Germany-based New
Classical Adventure (NCA) label. The first, released in 2007, is Handel's “Acis and Galatea,” the second, released in 2008, includes the concertos of Telemann featuring the principal players of the orchestra as soloists, the third in the series is composed of Bach cantatas, released in 2009, and the fourth CD in 2010 features principal oboist Gonzalo Ruiz in works for oboe, organ and soprano by Telemann and Hertel.
Repertoire and Performances
The orchestra performs both the well-known pieces and lesser known gems of the
baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
and
classical eras. In addition to established repertory, Musica Angelica has premiered over ten works in the new-music genre.
The group's 2004 premiere of a 1737 oratorio by
Nicola Porpora
Nicola (or Niccolò) Antonio Porpora (17 August 16863 March 1768) was an Italian composer and teacher of singing of the Baroque era, whose most famous singing students were the castrati Farinelli and Caffarelli. Other students included compose ...
, ''Il Gedeone'', received positive reviews.
Most recently, in March 2009, Musica Angelica performed the
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
n premiere of
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...
's
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
,
Motezuma
''Motezuma'', RV 723, is an opera in three acts by Antonio Vivaldi with an Italian libretto by Alvise Giusti. The libretto is very loosely based on the life of the Aztec ruler Montezuma who died in 1520. The first performance was given in the ...
.
Notable performances have included a collaboration with actor
John Malkovich
John Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Aw ...
, in a
one man show
A solo performance, sometimes referred to as a one-man show or one-woman show, features a single person telling a story for an audience, typically for the purpose of entertainment. This type of performance comes in many varieties, including auto ...
portraying
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n
serial killer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
*
*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
Jack Unterweger
Johann "Jack" Unterweger (16 August 1950 – 29 June 1994) was an Austrian serial killer who committed murder in several countries – Austria, West Germany, Czechoslovakia, and the United States. Initially convicted in 1974 of a sin ...
.
In 2015 Musica Angelica performed with
Mark Morris Dance Group
Mark William Morris (born August 29, 1956) is an American dancer, choreographer and director whose work is acclaimed for its craftsmanship, ingenuity, humor, and at times eclectic musical accompaniments. Morris is popular among dance aficionados, ...
in a dance interpretation of Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas."
Recordings
The group have released several recordings on the German
New Classical Adventure
New Classical Adventure (NCA) is a classical music record label based in Hamburg, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after R ...
label, including works by
Telemann
Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesh ...
,
Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...
, and
Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...
.
References
External links
Musica Angelica Homepage
{{authority control
Musical groups established in 1993
Early music groups
Early music orchestras
1993 establishments in California
Orchestras based in California