Musica Antiqua Köln

Musica Antiqua Köln was founded in 1973 by Reinhard Goebel, with fellow musicians from Köln Conservatory.

Born in Siegen in Westphalia, Germany, on 31 July 1952, Reinhard Goebel began to study the violin at the age of twelve. At seventeen, he entered into the violin class of Franzjosef Maier, a member of Collegium Aureum, at Köln Conservatory. He followed his studies in Essen under the direction of Saschko Gawriloff, a musician specialized in contemporary music, and in the Low Countries under Marie Leonhardt, who trained him on the Baroque violin. His immense knowledge of Baroque music and culture was built during his musicological studies at Cologne University. However, in an interview for a Spanish magazine, he considers himself "merely a craftsman whose aim is to give an optimum performance of chamber music composed for stringed instruments between 1600 and 1750."

The very distinctive style of Musica Antiqua Köln is clear since its first recordings: fast tempi, avoidance of vibrato, strong dynamic accents on the main beats and the messa di voce which has been a model for many Baroque ensembles. In a recent interview for the French magazine Diapason, Goebel says that his German playing technique is based on Quantz and Pisendel, his ensemble searching for an intense and male sound in which the rhythmic impact of articulations express the common desire of his musicians for perfection, this associated with the search for absolute tuning and the use of the right instruments.

The career of the group can be divided into four generations, with some overlapping. The first generation of Musica Antiqua Köln was a chamber group, with a strong bias toward German and French music. Bach's Musical Offering and Chamber Music records, and French Baroque Concerts are highlights of that time. The second generation was formed around an orchestra at the beginning of the eighties. Telemann's Wassermusik, Bach's Ouvertures and Brandenburg Concertos are among the best. The third generation was mainly an orchestra centered on Dresden orchestral repertory, and according to Reinhard Goebel himself, it happened because he could not play due to the laming of his left hand after recording Biber's Mystery Sonatas. The two Heinichen recordings have made a great stir in the small Baroque world and beyond. After ten or so years playing as a left-handed player, "the best second violinist in the world," Goebel played right-handed again, and recorded Biber's Harmonia-artificioso ariosa and Telemann's Flute quartets as a soloist, among a few others. However, according to a note published by the group at the beginning of May 2006, his left hand was injured again and forced him to abandon the violin forever. Musica Antiqua Köln will be dissolved by the end of this year, and Reinhard Goebel will concentrate his efforts to conduct "modern" orchestras.

The following list was originally developed by Maurizio Frigeni, who has listed all the recordings sorted by release date and with links to detailed contents files. Only original recordings are taken into account here, but in the accompanying file he has usually given some indications about reissues. I have been undertaken a revision since 2004.

Eduardo Kickhöfel
kickhofel@hotmail.com

Original Recordings

Telemann: Flute Quartets [2005]
Archiv 477 537

Lamento: C.P.E. Bach, J.C.F Bach, J.S. Bach, Conti [2005]
Archiv 474 194

Gluck: Trio Sonatas [2004]
Challenge Classics 72122

Biber: Harmonia artificiosa [2004]
Archiv 474 965

Charpentier: Musique Sacrée [2003]
w/ "Bonus CD" - MAK: 25 Years on Archiv Produktion
Archiv "Limited Edition" 474 507

Bachiana: Double Concertos [2002]
Archiv 471 579

Telemann: Sinfonia spirituosa - String concertos [2001]
Archiv 471 492

"Bachiana" vol.1: Music by the Bach Family [2000]
Archiv 471 150

Le Roi danse (film soundtrack - music by Lully et al.) [2000]
Deutsche Grammophon 463 446

Telemann: String Concertos [2000]
Archiv 463 074

Sonaten aus Dresden (Ziani/Furchheim/Thieme/Fux) [1999]
Vanguard Classics 99199

Bach: Wedding Cantatas (BWV 202, 210, 51) [1999]
Deutsche Grammophon 459 621

Musica Baltica [1999]
Archiv 459 619

Dowland: Lachrimae or Seven Teares and other Pavanes [1999]
Vanguard Classics 99175

Lamenti (Monteverdi, Bertali, Legrenzi, Vivaldi, Purcell) [1998]
Archiv 457 617

Biber: Missa Salisburgensis [1998]
Archiv 457 611

Sonata Pro Tabula (Biber, Valentini, Bertali, Schmelzer, Pezel) [1998]
Archiv 453 442

J.S. Bach: Secular Cantatas (BWV 201, 206, 207, 36c, 524) [1997]
Archiv 457 348

Hasse: Salve Regina [1997]
Archiv 453 435

Chaconne (Lully, Marini, Corelli, Purcell, Blow, Mayr, Pezel, Muffat) [1997]
Archiv 453 418

Heinichen: Lamentationes-Passionmusik [1996]
Archiv 447 092

Concerti per l'orchestra di Dresda (Heinichen, Dieupart, Fasch, Pisendel, Quantz, Veracini) [1995]
Archiv 447 644

Rebel: Les Élémens - Gluck: Alessandro [1995]
Archiv 445 824

Veracini: 5 Overtures [1994]
Archiv 439 937

Handel: Marian Cantatas and Arias [1994]
Archiv 439 866

Heinichen: Dresden Concerti [1993]
Archiv 437 549

Concerti (Torelli, Mossi, Valentini, Locatelli) [1992]
Archiv 435 393

Biber: Rosenkranz-Sonaten [1991]
Archiv 431 656

Telemann: Ino - Ouverture in D [1990]
Archiv 429 772

Scherzi Musicali (Biber, Schmelzer, Walther) [1990]
Archiv 429 230

Telemann: Tafelmusik [1989]
Archiv 427 619

Biber: Mensa Sonora - Sonata Representativa [1988]
Archiv 423 701

J.S.Bach: Brandenburg Concertos - Triple Concerto [1987]
Archiv 423 116

Telemann: Wind Concertos [1987]
Archiv 419 633

C.P.E. and W.F. Bach: Concertos for two harpsichords [1986]
Archiv 419 256

The Bach Family before Johann Sebastian: cantatas [1986]
Archiv 419 253

J.S.Bach: Suites for Orchestra BWV 1066-1070 [1986]
Archiv 415 671

De Profundis - German Baroque Cantatas (Schuetz, Tunder, Bruhns, Weckmann, Strungk) [1986]
Archiv 415 526

Telemann: Wassermusik - 3 Concertos [1985]
Archiv 413 788

J.S.Bach: The Art of Fugue - Canons [1985]
Archiv 413 728

Couperin: Les Nations [1984]
Archiv 410 901

Pachelbel: Kanon & Gigue - J.S. Bach - Handel - Vivaldi [1984]
Archiv 410 502

J.S.Bach: Chamber Music [1983]
Archiv 2742 007

German Chamber Music before Bach (Bach, Buxtehude, Reincken, Pachelbel, Rosenmüller, Schenck, Westhoff) [1982]
Archiv 2723 078

Concerts (Blavet, Boismortier, Buffardin, Corrette, Quentin) [1982]
Archiv 2534 010

J.S.Bach: Suites for orchestra BWV 1067 and 1070 [1982]
Archiv 2534 007

Conversation Galante (Fancoeur, Guillemain, Philidor, Quentin) [1982]
Archiv 2534 006

Vivaldi: Concerti da camera - Sonata "La Follia" [1981]
Archiv 2533 463

Gilles: Requiem - Corrette: Carillon des Morts [1981]
Archiv 2533 461

Monteverdi: Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, Lamenti - Farina: Sonata "La Desperata" [1981]
Archiv 2533 460

J.S.Bach: Trio Sonatas [1980]
Archiv 2533 448

Clerambault: Orphée - Medée [1980]
Archiv 2533 442

J.S.Bach: Musical Offering [1979]
Archiv 2533 422

Telemann: Chamber Concertos [1979]
Archiv 2533 421

Early Italian Violin Music (Gabrieli, Rossi, Fontana, Marini, Farina, Buonamente) [1979]
Archiv 2533 420

Leclair: Chamber Music (late works) [1979]
Archiv 2533 414

Le Parnasse Français (Couperin, Marais, Rebel) [1978]
Archiv 2533 408

Concerti per flauto (Mancini, Sarri, Barbella, Valentine) [1978]
Archiv 2533 380

Virtuose Deutsche Violinmusik Des 17. Jahrhunderts [1977]
EMI Reflexe 1C 063-30 937 Q

Kammermusik des franz. Barock auf Original-Instrumenten [1976]
FSM Aulos 53508

Sonaten des Früh- und Hochbarock auf Originalinstrumenten [1976]
FSM Aulos 53507

Grandi: Mottetti Concertati [1975]
FSM Aulos 3-1060


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