I Furiosi Baroque Ensemble
Defiled Is My (Middle) Name
Stylish in both sound and appearance, I Furiosi Baroque Ensemble performs instrumental and vocal music from mediavel chant to the apex of the High Baroque.
Shunning the traditional concert-going experience, I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble is revolutionising the face of Canadian early music. This group of four inspired and informed musicians performs programmes of music rarely heard on stage with an unparalleled and unusual fervour and sex-appeal. Having studied at institutions including University of Indiana at Bloomington, University of Toronto, McGill University, International Baroque Institute at Longy and The Banff Centre, these daring musicians bring their skill and expertise to new audiences, and are the edgy new voice in the early music world. The configuration of string trio and soprano allows a wide range of repertoire to be performed. I FURIOSI performs in Canada, the United States and abroad, and plans to expand to other venues in the coming years. In its Toronto concert series, the ensemble invokes the “bizarre and unnatural” aesthetic of the Baroque era, both cherished and despised in its time.
I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble began to present concerts in 1999, quickly receiving national and international recognition for its daring and avant garde repertoire. In 2001, the group was named as a finalist in the York Early Music Festival Young Artist’s Competition in York, England. I FURIOSI’s Brazen Throat of War, a vivid exploration of the horror of war and the triumph of battle through music of Purcell, Dowland, Lampe, Handel & others, was a smash hit in the concert series run by the Society for Historically Informed Performance based in Boston, Massachusetts that same year. 2002 brought the ensemble to Michigan and acclaimed performances in conjunction with the New York based brass group Spiritus.
In 2003-04, the core ensemble of four Artistic Directors, Gabrielle McLaughlin, Aisslinn Nosky, Julia Wedman and Felix Deak, renewed their commitment to an ongoing concert season, much to the delight of their dedicated fans. Since then, the series has attracted a wide variety of audience member and media attention.
Over its career, I FURIOSI has performed in both traditional and non-traditional entertainments. The ensemble has been heard on CBC Radio Two as part of the “Music Around Us” series, in 2001 and 2005. It is. In 2002, I FURIOSI was guest of the Mooredale Concert Series, performing works by Henry Purcell, John Dowland and Matthew Locke, and they were also featured artists in the Monteverdi Vespers held at Christ Church Deer Park, Toronto, in May 2003. The group has also reached out to audiences outside the more traditional concert experience, and have received an enthusiastic response from younger listeners and those not familiar with or interested in classical music. In 2001, I FURIOSI was part of the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre presentation of Strange Sisters. In June, 2003, the group presented a concert in Toronto’s Gay and Lesbian Pride week called Pride of the Baroque, which explored the works of gay composers in the period.
In 2004, I FURIOSI was invited to perform in various benefit concerts for Toronto’s Gay, Lesbian and Transgendered Communities, including a concert at the Isabel Bader Theatre for Toronto People With AIDS Foundation and a benefit for Pride Toronto. The ensemble was also pleased to be among many internationally renowned movers and shakers when asked to perform and speak at the IDEACity conference of 2004, held by CityTV and Moses Znaimer.
In its concert series, I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble has forged new ground by showcasing a wide range of repertoire in dramatically themed productions. From The Brazen Throat of War to Suffer the Little Birds to Sing to Furieux (a staged production of cantatas based on motifs of abandonment), the group has always programmed technically challenging works in an inspiring and accessible setting. Three Toronto composers have also contributed to I FURIOSI’s concerts –Andrew Ager composed Abysses in conjunction with Toronto poet Suzanne Bassett. Scott Good wrote a piece for the ensemble which was performed in March of 2002, and Christopher Dedrick re-orchestrated his incidental music for the film version of Timothy Findley’s Elizabeth Rex for I FURIOSI’s June 2003 Gay Pride programme. Renowned guest artists have also been inspired to play with the group from all over the world, including baroque flautist Jed Wentz; violinist Mayumi Seiler; horn player James Sommerville and bass Sean Watson.
I FURIOSI’s new CD Defiled is my Middle Name has garnered critical acclaim and sold outstandingly well since its release. The group joined forces with many other prominent Toronto ensembles and musicians in The Great Holiday Mega-Launch in December of 2005, where Defiled is my Middle Name was released along with 6 other discs.
The four Artistic Directors are deeply committed to making this ensemble a driving force in Canada, and spend many hours devoted to research, administration and rehearsal. A key element of their programming involves historical research, to provide audience members with a context for understanding the music and performance. The group unearths rarely heard music as well as revitalizes more familiar pieces in order to engage audiences in themes based on current issues, putting the ensemble on the forefront of the latest musicological research and knowledge.
Painstakingly crafted program notes provide insight into both the composer’s own vision, and the broad social themes of the day. In developing its programming, the ensemble works diligently to craft themes linked to current events, to provide contemporary audiences with an insight into historical themes that is entertaining as well as educational. For example, a recent program, offered just after the SARS crisis in Toronto, provided audiences with an opportunity to explore the ways in which Baroque musicians interpreted their experience of infectious diseases during that time. Such ingenious programming continues to expand our audience base, bringing the early music experience to new audiences, many of whom may be unfamiliar with this body of music.
Find out more at ifuriosi.com
Avant Garde: Classical Avant-Garde