Musica Antiqua Köln

Founded in Cologne, Germany in 1973 by violinist Reinhard Goebel, classical music ensemble Musica Antiqua Köln focused on the research and interpretation of baroque music until their dissolution in 2006. Reinhard Goebel - born in Siegen, Germany on July 21, 1952 - studied the violin under Saschko Gawriloff in Cologne and under Marie Leonhardt in Amsterdam, Netherlands. His interest in music from the end of the 17th century and the 18th century led him to form Musica Antiqua Köln, consisting of a string quartet, a harpsichord, a transverse flute, and other period instruments. The ensemble became popular with their interpretations of German baroque composers - in particular, J.S. Bach and Telemann - after they had previously explored Italian and French repertoires. In 1983, the ensemble expanded to include a chamber orchestra. This 30 members version of Musica Antiqua Köln participated in the discovery of composers such as J.D. Heinichen, J. G. Pisendel, P. von Westhoff, C. Farina, S. Rossi, and J.A. Reincken. The ensemble gained renewed interest thanks to their appearance on the soundtrack to the 2000 motion picture Le Roi Danse, a film based on the life and music of composer Jean Baptiste Lully. Musica Antiqua Köln began recording in 1978 and released a series of acclaimed award-winning albums including Bach: Kammermusik (1983), Bach: Brandenburgische Konzerte (1987), Telemann: Tafelmusik (1989), Baroque Chamber Music (1992), Heinichen: Dresden Conzerti (1993) and many others. During their career, Musica Antiqua Köln collaborated with Philippe Herreweghe, Andreas Staier, Barbara Schlick, Anne Sofie von Otter, Bernarda Fink, Maurice Steger, Christine Schäfer and Magdalena Kožená among others. The ensemble disbanded in 2006 and Reinhard Goebel focused on conducting larger orchestras.