«Musica Antiqua Russica»

Musica Antiqua Russica was founded in 1988. The first series of concerts ensemble played in Catherine Palace near St. Petersburg and it has become deep symbolical-just the shape of baroque town with the greatest force embodied in this architectural complex has become the determining factor in the aesthetic concept of ensemble and its repertoire.

By uniting at the end of the 80th most prominent Russian musicians, which specialized in historical performance of the 17 and 18 century music, the ensemble at once has defined the person: Russian music of the 18th century, which musicians founded in the archives of St. Petersburg, received a new life at the concerts of collective and has become a basis of its repertoire.

At the same time ensemble perform a lot of Western-European music. During recent years Musica Antiqua prepared a dozens of programs from early 17th century Italian baroque up to sacred music of Arvo Part.

Concert tours takes ensemble not only all over the Europe and United States where Musica Antiqua has appeared almost at all main festivals, but also to such "exotic" place as Africa and Siberia. The group has successfully participated in Early Music Festivals in Moscow, St Petersburg, Novosibirsk (Russia), Minsk (Belarus), Riga (Latvia), Vilnius (Lithuania), Regensburg (Germany), Malaga, Puerto de la Maria (Spain), Brezice (Slovenia); Music Festivals in Madrid, Melilla, Valliadolid, Valencia (Spain), Bad Kissingen (Germany); festivals of Russian Music in Manchester (UK), Enschede (Holland), Kalamazoo (USA), Tallinn, Parnu and Haapsalu (Estonia), and many others.

Performances of Musica Antiqua Russica and its CD recordings find the wide response in press, invariable receiving a high estimation of critics and experts.(St.Petersburg Times, Suddeutsche Zeitnung (Munchen), Early Music Review (London).