IMMERSEEL, JOS VAN - piano Erard 1897

 C. Debussy
Debussy et son univers sonore
Préludes-Premier livre (1909-1910); Images (oubliées) 1894

 Well-known pianist and harpsichordist Jos van Immerseel’s ‘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 Supérieur’ of Paris.
More than fifty recordings provide further evidence of the strong influence of primary source investigation on his performances. In Jos van Immerseel’s 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 Mozart’s 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 orchestra’s 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.

 (...) he also gives us the impression (impressively captured by the Channel sound crew) that we truly are inside the music and inside the world of Debussy- a treat that we rarely experience on any recording
CD Review, October 93
(...) Zijn spel straalt grote vitaliteit, kennis van de materie en subtiliteit uit. (...)
Preludes & Images is een van de interessantste Debussy - uitgaven van de laatste tijd.(...)
Volkskrant, July '93
(...) An altogether remarkable issue.
Tribune, October 1993
(...) "an unprecedented spectrum of tone" (...)
Times, April 1994
(...) Trots Verwendung eines ‘Originalinstruments’ empfehlenswert.
Fono Forum, November 1993