Terry Wey, Countertenor
Jakob Huppmann, Countertenor
Thomas Künne, Tenor
Tore Tom Denys, Tenor
Tim Scott Whiteley, Baritone
Ulfried Staber, Bass
Comprising six professional singers from five European countries, Cinquecento takes its name from the Italian term for the sixteenth century. The pan-European structure of the ensemble (its members are from Austria, Belgium, England, Germany and Switzerland ) harks back to the imperial chapel choirs of the 16th century, whose members would have been chosen for their musicianship from Europe 's most prized musical establishments.
Formed in Vienna in October 2004 the ensemble aims to bring the lesser known 16th century choral repertoire from the courts of imperial Austria to a wider public, as well as performing a varied range of Renaissance polyphony with a view to illuminating to audiences the kaleidoscopic diversity of compositional styles operating within Europe over the period. With “Beauty and Dissonance”, a programme contrasting English and Flemish works, the group launched its first concert series in May 2005 to great acclaim. Further performances in Vienna and a festival engagement for the Paul Hofhaymer Gesellschaft, Salzburg were followed in August 2005 by a promotional CD recording. Recent tours in Austria and Poland have included performances in Salzburg cathedral, Klangräume (Waidhofen/Ybbs), Orgelfest Stift Zwettl, Styriarte (Graz) and Festiwal Muzyki Sakralnej (Gdynia). Since September 2005 Cinquecento has been ‘Ensemble in Residence' at the church of St Rochus and Sebastian, Vienna performing a polyphonic mass setting each week.
In June 2006 Cinquecento made its first recording for the internationally acclaimed Hyperion record label, performing works written for the court chapel of Emperor Maximilian II. This recording is released on 29th January, 2007. A recording of works by Jacobus Regnart (c.1540-1599) is planned for February 2007.
More information: www.ensemblecinquecento.com
