For over two decades, audiences have marvelled at how Christina Pluhar and her ensemble L’Arpeggiata – named after Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger’s toccata of the same name – breathe new life into compositions from centuries past. Made up of soloists from a variety of musical backgrounds, the ensemble has delighted audiences and critics worldwide with its unconventional and captivating performances since 2000. Their focus is on 17th-century French, Italian and Neapolitan music, though the ensemble has also looked beyond Europe’s borders to South America (»Los Pájaros Perdidos«) and has embarked on a musical journey across the Mediterranean (»Mediterraneo«), both of which were presented at the Musikfest in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Their collaboration with Rolando Villazón exploring the theme of Orpheus began at the 2016 Musikfest Bremen and has continued ever since. Last autumn saw the release of the CD »Orfeo son io«, which spans the arc from Monteverdi and his contemporaries via Christoph Willibald Gluck to the 20th century with Carlos Gardel and Luiz Bonfá – very much in the spirit of a vibrant, nuanced Gesamtkunstwerk, in keeping with the ensemble’s tradition and that of its musical director, Christina Pluhar.

L’Arpeggiata regularly performs at renowned international festivals and major concert halls. They have toured Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South America and the USA. Their numerous recordings have won prestigious awards, including the Cannes Classical Award, the Diapason d’Or, the Edison Prize, and several consecutive ECHO Klassik and OPUS Klassik awards.