Rachael Beesley baroque violin Cassandra Luckhardt viola da gamba/baroque cello Regina Albanez lute/theorbo/baroque guitar Pieter Dirksen harpsichord/organ Guest vocal and instrumental soloists

‘One of the best ensembles in The Netherlands’ De Volkskrant

La Suave Melodia was formed in 1998 to explore the trio sonatas of Dietrich Buxtehude and the Pièces de Clavecin of Jean-Philippe Rameau. They met with immediate success as prize-winners in the 1998 Van Wassenaer Concours for Early Music and have since been highly acclaimed in both the concert hall and the recording studio. La Suave Melodia has performed in concert series throughout The Netherlands and Germany. They were the featured ensemble at the opening of the international Rembrandt/Caravaggio exhibition in the Van Gogh Museum and have twice played in the Musica Sacra Festival in Maastricht. Their concerts have been broadcast on the Dutch radio station AVRO and they have recorded several CDs representing their diverse repertoire of Buxtehude, Bach, Rameau, Marais, Rebel, Couperin, Purcell, Lawes and Handel and the newly released trio sonatas of Johannes Schenck.

Sample Programme:

Johannes Schenck (1660-c.1720) - Il Giardino Armonico - Trio Sonatas Opus III: This long-time lost publication was rediscovered a few years ago by Pieter Dirksen in the collection of the Berlin Singakademie which had then just been returned from Kiev. These beautiful and wonderfully varied sonatas, which are heavily influenced by Arcangelo Corelli’s Opus I trio sonatas, form the high point of Schenck’s oeuvre and as such a true monument of Dutch music.

Education:

La Suave Melodia provides a wealth of experience and enthusiasm for inspiring others to perform and play music from the Baroque by giving performance classes, ensemble coaching and individual lessons on baroque violin, viola and cello, viola da gamba, lute, theorbo, baroque guitar, harpsichord and organ. Through lecture recitals, demonstrations and forums, La Suave Melodia presents an educated insight into the fascinating history and background of the repertoire and these instruments.

Recordings:

Johannes Schenck (1660-c1720) Il Giardino Armonico 12 Trio Sonatas Opus III - Et’cetera KTC 1356 World Premiere Recording

Performances:

22 Feb 07 Musica Antica da Camera, The Hague
6 Mayt 07 Spiegelzaal, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
30 Aug 07 Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, NL

Contact:

Rachael Beesley, Zwaanshalskade 97,
3036JJ, Rotterdam,Netherlands

Tel: +31 10 465 3501
Mobile: +31 6 4833 5303

Email: info@lasuavemelodia.com
Website: www.lasuavemelodia.com