IMMERSEEL, JOS VAN, Orchestra Anima Eterna

complete piano concertos on period instruments on 10 cds
CCS productions 0590,0690,0990,1791,1891,1991,2391,2491,2591,2691

Jos van Immerseel and the orchestra 'Anima Eterna' On the 7th december 1979, critic Roger Hofmans of the Standaard, Brussels, wrote the following review of van Immerseel's Clementi recording: "van Immerseel forces you to listen; his articulation is daring, intuitively musical, and the ornaments that belong to the essence of this music have a sculptured relief, and the virtuoso passagework comes from the keys with the greatest ease. Whoever has not had the chance to hear van Immerseel on historic keyboard instruments, has no idea of the subtle nuances of sound that they possess. Van Immerseel makes Clementi's sonatas more exciting than those of Mozart, but perhaps he will accomplish the same with the sonatas of that great man from Salzburg".
Ten years later, on the 6th of March 1990 the NRC Handelsblad, Rotterdam wrote: "In the "Andantino" of Mozart's Jeunehomme Konzert, it was a true wonder how he was able to reach the furthest corners of the Great Hall of the Concertgebouw and touch his listeners hearts with pianissimo passages....". Trouw wrote on the 7th March: "Jos van Immerseel was trained as pianist on the modern piano and feels at ease the literature for that instrument. At on early stage however, he chose not to utilize his capacities to the end of a fast career as a piano virtuoso, and decided to examine the piano's development through all it's stages of development fitting the contemporary literature. This combination of all round and highly talented keyboard player with knowledgable musical insight of the piano of Mozart's time, make him an artist who can compete with the great interpreters of Mozart on the Steinway".

The orchestra 'Anima Eterna' was founded in 1987 and is composed of top musicians from 12 countries. They all perform on classic instruments utilizing the same techniques as those used during Mozart's time. The musicians were chosen not only on the basis of their professional qualities, but also for their musical intensity and 'spirituality'. Source of inspiration and mentor of the orchestra is concertmaster Marc Destrub from Vancouver, Canada. Utrechts Nieuwsblad, september 1989: "Here one finds clearly thought out and responsable playing on authentic instruments combined with a large measure of natural ease and musicality". Volkskrant, 7th march 1990: "Refreshing, spiritual and full of surprises". Chr. Lelie in Trouw, 4th september 1990: "Anima Eterna can be placed on the same line with the orchestras of Norrington, Brggen or Hogwood. Van Immerseel and his orchestra have a totally different approach. The most catching is the mild tone of the string section." Algemeen Dagblad, 7th march 1990: "It is absolutely certain that Anima Eterna has all the necessary qualities to become an orchestra of world format".

10/10 CD review/
Tlrama/ Disque du Jour/