Country

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France

Genre

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Choral

 

Ensemble Organum is a French classical music ensemble that specializes in the performance of early music, particularly Gregorian chant and other forms of medieval music. The ensemble was founded in 1982 by Marcel Pérès, a French musicologist and conductor who had previously studied at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland. Pérès was inspired to form Ensemble Organum after studying the music of the Notre-Dame School, a group of composers who worked at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in the 12th and 13th centuries. He was struck by the beauty and complexity of the music, and felt that it deserved to be heard by a wider audience. He assembled a group of singers and instrumentalists who shared his passion for early music, and began rehearsing and performing together. The early years of Ensemble Organum were marked by a series of groundbreaking recordings that helped to establish the ensemble's reputation as one of the foremost interpreters of early music. In 1983, the ensemble released its first album, Chant Gregorien, which featured a selection of Gregorian chants performed in the traditional style. The album was a critical and commercial success, and helped to introduce a new generation of listeners to the beauty and power of medieval music. Over the years, Ensemble Organum has continued to explore and expand its repertoire, performing music from a wide range of historical periods and cultural traditions. The ensemble has collaborated with a number of other musicians and ensembles, including the Hilliard Ensemble, the Tallis Scholars, and the Huelgas Ensemble. One of the highlights of Ensemble Organum's career was its performance at the Festival d'Avignon in 1990. The ensemble performed a program of medieval music, including works by Hildegard von Bingen and Guillaume de Machaut, to a packed audience at the Palais des Papes. The performance was widely praised for its beauty and authenticity, and helped to cement Ensemble Organum's reputation as one of the leading interpreters of early music. In addition to its performances, Ensemble Organum has also received numerous awards and accolades for its recordings. The ensemble has won several Diapason d'Or awards, which are given to the best classical recordings of the year in France. In 2009, the ensemble was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque for its recording of the music of Hildegard von Bingen. Ensemble Organum's current members include Marcel Pérès, who serves as the ensemble's artistic director and conductor, as well as a number of singers and instrumentalists who specialize in early music. The ensemble continues to perform and record, and remains committed to bringing the beauty and complexity of early music to audiences around the world.

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