LITTLE CONSORT

J. Ciconia & his Time Little Consort of Amsterdam
J. Ciconia: Una Panthera; Benche da voi Donna;
Per quella strada; Gli atti col danzar;
Chi nel servir anticho;
Sus une Fontayne;
Quod lactatur Ph. de Caserta:
En remirant Solage:
Hlas, je voy mon cuer, D. da Firenze:
Lucida pecorella son

Little Consort Amsterdam had its inception in 1979 when Toyohiko Satoh, Walter van Hauwe and Kees Boeke, decided to form together the smallest possible ensemble with maximum flexibility both in choice of instruments and choice of repertoire. Since the addition of one voice, the group's repertoire has been much more enlarged, today consisting of solo pieces as well as duets, trios, vocal music, spanning from Mediaeval music, via Ciconia and Ars Subtilior, 16th century diminutions, Elizabethan repertoire, the early suite and sonata of the 17th century, to works of the late baroque. The instruments played by the performers are: Renaissance lute, baroque lute, theorbo, chitarrone, recorders, traverso, viella and viols.
TOYOHIKO SATOH. Lutes and viol. Was born in 1943 in Japan, where he studied guitar, cello and musicology. Later he came to Europe and studied lute with Eugen Dombois at the Schola Cantorum in Basel, Switzerland. Since 1970, when he made the world's first solo record on the baroque lute (Baroque Lute Recital Vol. I), he has made a number of solo records. One of them won an important prize in Japan in 1980. At the same time he began concertizing throughout Europe, Japan, USA and Canada. He is a member of the Kees Boeke Consort, and plays besides Renaissance lute and baroque lute also theorbo, chitarrone and other instruments of the same family as well as viol. Since 1973 he is a lute professor at The Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherland, and frequently gives masterclasses in other countries.
KEES BOEKE. Viols and recorders. Born in 1950 in Amsterdam, studied recorder with Frans Brggen and cello with Anner Bijlsma at The Royal Conservatory, The Hague, where he graduated with honours in recorder in 1969. He is one of the member founders of Quadro Hotteterre (1968) and Sour Cream (1972), and for three years formed part of Syntagma Musicum. Since 1970 he has been teaching recorder at The Royal Conservatory, The Hague, and the Sweelinck Conservatory, Amsterdam, and at present gives masterclasses in recorder and early music all over the world. He also is active as a composer and editor of early and contemporary music. With the Kees Boeke Consort he presents portraits of Renaissance composers. Since 1990 he is Professor of Recorder and Early Music at the Conservatories of Zrich and Trossingen, West Germany.
WALTER VAN HAUWE. In order to cover the whole blockflute-literature from the 14th Century up to the present, Walter van Hauwe was co-founder of various ensembles: for the 17th and 18th Century chamber-music 'the Quadro Hotteterre', for the very early and contemporary music the group 'Sour Cream', and for the 15th, 16th and 17th Century music 'Little Consort'. With the Japanese marimba player Keiko Abe, Walter van Hauwe mainly performs improvisations in several styles. Walter van Hauwe gives master-classes at the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam and he wrote a method in three volumes: 'The Modern Recorder Player'.
LUCIA MEEUWSEN. Mezzosoprano. Lucia Meeuwsen has studied singing with Annie Hermes at The Royal Conservatory, The Hague, and with Jessica Cash in London. Now she is coached by Sena Jurinac. She is very well-known in Holland and Europe also for the versatility of her repertoire . She has recorded Mediaeval and Renaissance Music with the Syntagma Musicum (Dufay) and the Kaproen Ensemble (Binchois). With the Nederlands Danstheater she has sung Luciano Berio's Folk Songs at the Metropolitan of New York. She has won the Janine Micheau Prize at the den Bosch International Competition for vocalists for her particular affinity for the French repertoire. In Paris, she has executed the works of E. Carter and C. Rugles with Pierre Boulez's Intercontemporains ensemble.

(...) Ciconia's music is something to be experienced.(...) Early Music