European Lute Orchestra
The European According Orchestra ( European Lute Orchestra ) (ELO) is an ensemble , which consists of plucked instruments of the lute family (Renaissance lutes of different size and pitch, archlutes , theorbos , Colascioni, Renaissance guitar ) composed.
The interaction of different lute instruments is a special sonic feature and the impressive number of around 40 lutenists makes the ELO a unique formation.
history
In 2012 the ELO was founded with the support of the English and Italian lute societies. The 40 or so players come from Italy , England , France , Germany , Spain , Poland and Switzerland . Mainly music from the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods will be performed. In the years since its inception, the ensemble has performed in historic concert halls such as the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza , the Oratorio San Filippo Neri and the Hall of Achiginnasio in Bologna , the Andrea del Sarto Museum in Florence and in 2016 in the Great Hall of Durham Castle in England. In June 2017 the orchestra will perform at the European Lute Festival in Füssen.
Gian Luca Lastraioli has reconstructed and arranged several pieces for ELO, a collection of the most famous works of the Renaissance from the musical tradition of Italy, England, Germany and France. These are melodies and themes that every dancer and listener of that time knew as "evergreens".
management
The conductor and artistic director of the orchestra is Gian Luca Lastraioli, a lutenist and theorbist, lecturer at the Conservatorio di Parma and the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole.
Historical
Such a combination of plucked instruments reflects the ensembles that were in service at the wealthy and culturally-minded European royal courts in the 16th and 17th centuries, for example in Florence , Paris and London .
Lute ensembles have a long history. Their size ranged from just a handful of plucked instruments in a group, through trios and quartets to formations of around 20 players. These larger ensembles (grande gruppo di liuti) were in demand and because of their size they were very expensive. Only the largest and most prosperous royal courts in Europe could afford to have such an ensemble in their service. For example, a large number of lute instruments were present at the pompous performance of the “Ballets de Cour” at the French court. In England a "big band" of lutes played in the "Masques". In Italy there was a large group of lutenists in the service of the Medici court in Florence. The lutenist and composer Lorenzo Allegri directed the Florentine lute ensemble that was part of one of the greatest musical spectacles of the late 16th century, the intermedia for La Pellegrina (1589). At the end of the 17th century, interest in these large lute ensembles gradually waned and with it their practice, which was mostly based on improvisation and oral tradition.