Virtuosi Saxoniae (Instrumental Ensemble)

Founded: 1986 - Dresden, Germany

During the 1986 Dresden Music Festival the debut of the chamber orchestra Virtuosi Saxoniae attracted special attention. The ensemble went on to win the acclaim of audiences at home and abroad fully living up to the promise it had shown.

Ludwig Güttler is the founder and music director of the Virtuosi Saxoniae. All members of the group are principal instrumentalists of the Dresden Staatskapelle. The name was chosen to stress the origin and musical standard of the players but also provides a clue to historical associations and the repertory of the ensemble. The Virtuosi Saxoniae are chiefly concerned with 18^th century European music which Dresden epitomized in brilliant fashion in the realms of opera, church and chamber music. While the city’s musical tradition inherited from the 17^th, 19^th and early 20^th centuries figures prominently in the public mind, the rich heritage of the 18^th century has yet to be discovered in its full panoply. The Saxon library in Dresden which holds numerous autograph scores, parts and prints of the Staatskapelle archives dating from this period, is a veritable treasure trove for music lovers. The Virtuosi Saxoniae devote most of their attention to the great figures of the ‘Hasse era’.

Source: Liner notes to the 13-CD album ‘Bach made in Germany – Vol. V’ conducted by Ludwig Güttler (Dresden Classics, 2000)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (June 2001)

Ludwig Güttler: Short Biography | Virtuosi Saxoniae | Recordings of Vocal Works | General Discussions

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