ANIMA ETERNA
IMMERSEEL, JOS VAN - conductor

F. Schubert Rosamunde & Symphony no.5 Jos van Immerseel, conductor & Anima Eterna, orchestra
Ouvertre Die Zauberharfe alias Rosamunde D.644;
Schauspielmusik zum Drama Rosamunde D.797;
Symphonie no.5 B Dur D.485 (period performance)

Well-known pianist and harpsichordist Jos van Immerseels authentic interpretations, based on a balanced combination of technique, improvisational talent, and theoretical knowledge, brought him international fame. One particularly striking example of this is his appointment, the first awarded to a native Fleming in 150 years, to a chair at the Conservatoire National Suprieur of Paris. More than fifty recordings provide further evidence of the strong influence of primary source investigation on his performances. In Jos van Immerseels work, terms such as rhetoric and stylistic authenticity are no longer sterile abstractions; on the contrary. More than any other performer, he shows that these qualities, combined with his own profound musicality, result in consistently innovative, original interpretations. After working for many years with ad hoc- and guest ensembles, Jos van Immerseel founded an ensemble in 1985 that was better suited to the realization of his musical concepts and the results of his research. At the same time, it was intended to function as an experimental instrument for the testing of theory against practice. This was Anima Eterna. In the nine years since its foundation, the orchestra has made fourteen CDs, including the unsurpassed series of Mozarts complete piano concerti; it has made concert tours in Europe and Japan and received innumerable prizes and honors (e.g. Cultural Ambassador of the Flemish Community, Best Orchestra for historical performance in 1992, awarded by the well-known American periodical CD review, the Caecilia prize of the Belgian musical press...). One of the main factors in the orchestras rapid rise to international fame has been the wide-ranging selections of the best musicians from more than 15 different countries; after five years of intensive work, they have succeeded in creating their own distinctive sound, a sound unmatched by any other ensemble today. In this way, Anima Eterna has gained a position in the world of historic performance which makes it the benchmark for performances of composers such as Mozart and Schubert.

Awards: best recording of the year H+B

(...) excellent, exemplary effort from one of Europes most exciting period instrument ensembles. (...) (...) rightness of period instruments for classical repertoire. Not only is the sound uncommonly rich-hued and vibrant, but the playing technique exposes and enhances the innner lines so that the harmonies seem to blossom more fully than is possible with the more homogeneous blend of modern strings and winds. This is sonority and lyricism - and sound engineering - at its finest. CD Review, September 1995