© Canzona

Canzona in rehearsal at St Albans Cathedral    

 

CANZONA was formed in 1992 and comprises some of this country’s leading players of period instruments. The core of the ensemble consists of the classic trio sonata formation with two violins and a continuo section and many of Canzona’s concerts are as a chamber group. They are often joined by a singer and have performed with many distinguished soloists including James Bowman and Peter Harvey. The players of Canzona have a particular passion for 17th century music, but whatever they are playing, from Monteverdi to Mozart, they make every effort to play on appropriate instruments for the period. During 2003 and 2004, Canzona was the Resident Ensemble at Magdalen College, Oxford, and gave a series of concerts and workshops there.

 

Canzona is frequently expanded to orchestral proportions and has performed with many outstanding choirs and conductors including Stephen Layton, both with Polyphony and the Holst Singers, with whom they have given performances of Messiah and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, B Minor Mass and St. John and St. Matthew Passions at St. John’s Smith Square, King’s College Cambridge, Salisbury Cathedral and Romsey Abbey. Canzona also has a long-standing association with the Leith Hill Musical Festival in Surrey, conducted by Brian Kay, in which it has performed Monteverdi's Vespers, Handel's Messiah and Bach's Magnificat, Brandenburg Concerto No.3, and St. John and St. Matthew Passions.  Other engagements have included appearances at the Royal Festival Hall, the Three Choirs Festival, the Spitalfields Festival, Wells Cathedral, St Albans Cathedral, Douai Abbey, the Bradford Festival Choral Society, Merton College Oxford, Trinity College Cambridge, St Martin in the Fields and St. George’s Hanover Square.  

 

Canzona’s recording on the EtCetera label of motets by André Campra [1660-1744] for one, two and three voices with Philippa Hyde, Rodrigo del Pozo and Peter Harvey was hailed as “a wonderful new disc” and “an absolutely glorious debut” by Sean Rafferty on Radio 3’s In Tune programme and has received much critical acclaim both here and abroad.

 

 

© Gerald Place

Canzona consists of 3-30 players as required including:

Theresa Caudle - baroque violin, cornett

Jean Paterson – baroque violin

Mark Caudle – baroque cello, bass violin, viola da gamba

David Miller – theorbo 

Alastair Ross – harpsichord, organ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go to Canzona home page

Canzona Ltd – Registered Company No. 5464208

e-mail: info@canzona.co.uk