BOZEN BAROQUE ORCHESTRA

The Bozen Baroque Orchestra was founded in 2006 by conductor Claudio Astronio. On the international scene since 1996, the group was formerly known as “Harmonices Mundi”. Based in Bolzano, members of the orchestra reside in Northern Italy, performing regularly in the leading European early music ensembles.
Known for its innovative and ground-breaking programming, in 2006 the BBO performed a newly discovered oratorio by Leopold Mozart, in addition to the rarely performed motets for double choir and orchestra by Antonio Vivaldi. This year the orchestra has taken on ambitious projects including the XVIIIth century Opera “Orfeo e Euridice” of Christoph Willibald Gluck (Teatro Alighieri di Ravenna, director Graham Vick). Rarely performed with period instruments, the BBO’s authentic period instrumentation resurrects the true musical intentions of Gluck’s masterpiece.

The BBO’s second large-scale project has been the Matthäuspassion of J.S. Bach. Performed with such extraordinary soloists as Susanne Rydén, Makoto Sakurada, Christian Hilz, Sergio Foresti, and Massimiliano Mauthe, the Passion went beyond a simple concert. In collaboration with Brazilian dance master and choreographer, Ismael Ivo, the Matthäuspassion became a daring contemporary performance.
The BBO’s recording of Leopold Mozart’s newly discovered oratorio “Der Mensch, ein Gottesmoerder” will be released in the October issue of the Italian magazine “Amadeus”. This important recognition highlights the BBO’s devoted commitement to the promotion of fine music overlooked by others or newly discovered.