Hipocondria ensemble

The Hipocondria Ensemble was established in 2000. Its founding members were young professional instrumentalists who, after having worked for several years in leading Czech music groups, decided to form their own chamber ensemble for the authentic interpretation of early music. The ensemble plays in various combinations of two violins, viola, and basso continuo, and, if required, flute or oboe. In an attempt to come as close as possible to an original interpretation of seventh and eighteenth-century works, Hipocondria uses period instruments or faithful copies and historical tunings. When performing vocal-instrumental compositions, it works with singers specialized in early music. The repertoire of the ensemble consists mainly of instrumental works of High Baroque, Late Baroque, and Early Classical music. Hipocondria focuses on the interpretation of completely neglected or rarely performed works by Czech master composers (Josef Antonín Plánický, František Ignác Antonín Tůma, Jiří Antonín Benda, František Xaver Richter, Jan Zach, Jan Dismas Zelenka). This activity has resulted in the contemporary premiere, in 2001, of a series of six church sonatas by František Ignác Antonín Tůma (as part of a National Gallery project called “The Glory of the Baroque in Bohemia”) and the Czech premiere of a harpsichord concerto by František Xaver Richter. The ensemble has also given many concerts, for example, at the Bach Festival in Nové Město, Moravia, a concert with the subtitle “Music of Bologna” for the National Gallery in Prague, the Emmy Destinn Festival in České Budějovice, the Musica Ecumenica Festival, the Festival of Church Music in Česká Lípa, and the Young Stage Festival in Karlovy Vary. Abroad, it has taken part, for example, in the Festival de musique et d’art baroque en Tarentaise, the Arpeges en Alpages festival, and the Musique en fete dans le Val Saint-Grégoire. For their recording of the complete works of the Baroque composer Bohuslav Matěj Černohorský the Hipocondria Ensemble was awarded, among other things, the highest rating (five Diapasons) by the prestigious specialized French monthly Diapason.