Arion Baroque Orchestra Explained

Arion Baroque Orchestra
Native Name:Arion Orchestre Baroque
Founded:1981
Location:Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Music Director:Claire Guimond and Mathieu Lussier
Website:http://www.arionbaroque.com

Arion Baroque Orchestra, founded in 1981, is a Canadian baroque orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, specializing in music of the 18th century performed on period instruments.

History

Arion Baroque Orchestra was founded in Montreal in 1981 (first under the name of Arion Ensemble). Originally, it was a quartet whose members included flautist Claire Guimond, violinist Chantal Rémillard, harpsichordist Hank Knox, and viola da gamba player Betsy MacMillan.[1]

The ensemble's name comes from Greek mythology: Arion is a musician from antiquity who avoided drowning by charming a dolphin with his singing. It is also the name of a cantata by André Campra that was played at the first concert of the group.

Since the mid-1990s, the original quartet has expanded with the aim of developing into a baroque orchestra, and thus began to explore the repertoire from the 2nd half of the 18th century, most notably the music of Haydn and Mozart.

Flautist Claire Guimond, was the sole artistic director of the orchestra from 1981 to 2019. During the 2019–2020 season, the artistic direction was shared with bassoonist Mathieu Lussier who succeeded her in the following 2020/2021 season.[2]

Arion Baroque Orchestra does not have a principal conductor and prefers to collaborate with invited soloists and leaders. Some of the collaborators Arion has shared the stage with over the years are sopranos Suzie LeBlanc and Karina Gauvin, recorder player Vincent Lauzer, violinists Stefano Montanari, Enrico Onofri, and Monica Huggett, cellist Jaap ter Linden, harpsichordists Christophe Rousset, Garry Cooper, and Alexander Weimann, flautist Barthold Kuijken, and clarinettist Lorenzo Coppola.

Arion Baroque Orchestra has toured Québec, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Japan,[3] and Europe.

Arion has a residency at Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, where it has an annual subscription series of five programs. The orchestra also performs at other venues in Montreal, most notably through the Conseil des arts de Montréal touring program, but also at the main music festivals across Quebec and Canada such as Domaine Forget, the Montreal Bach Festival, the Ottawa Chamberfest, and the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival in New Brunswick.

Awards and distinctions

The orchestra has received several awards and distinctions for its recordings and concerts: 9 Prix Opus[4] ,[5] of the Conseil Québécois de la Musique, 2 Félix Awards[6] ,[7] of ADISQ, 1 Juno Award[8] of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and 1 Diapason d'Or[9] from the French music magazine Diapason.

Discography

The discography of Arion Baroque Orchestra comprises around thirty titles[10] on four labels: early-music.com,[11] ATMA Classique,[12] Analekta,[13] and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Arion Ensemble The Canadian Encyclopedia. 16 December 2016. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. 3 May 2020.
  2. Web site: Mathieu Lussier takes up the baton at Arion Baroque Orchestra. Kerr. Peter. 21 October 2019. The Montrealer. 3 May 2020.
  3. Web site: Allegro Music Tokyo, Inc.. www.allegromusic.co.jp. 2 May 2020. .
  4. Web site: CQM > Activités et services > Prix Opus > Archives. www.cqm.qc.ca. 1 May 2020.
  5. Web site: CQM > Activités et services > Prix Opus > Lauréats an 23. www.cqm.qc.ca. 1 May 2020.
  6. Web site: Archives 2013 –. ADISQ. 1 May 2020.
  7. Web site: Archives 2003 –. ADISQ. 1 May 2020.
  8. Web site: Past Nominees + Winners. The JUNO Awards. en-US. 3 May 2020.
  9. Web site: ACTUALITÉS Dix bonnes nouvelles en musique classique pour se remonter le moral. Ludwig Van Montreal. 2 October 2018. 1 May 2020.
  10. Web site: Discography – Arion Orchestre Baroque. www.arionbaroque.com. 3 May 2020.
  11. Web site: Arion Baroque Orchestra. early-music.com. 3 May 2020.
  12. Web site: ATMA Classique. ATMA Classique. 2 May 2020.
  13. Web site: Arion. Analekta. fr-FR. 2 May 2020.

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