L'arpa Festante

Period-instrument ensemble L'Arpa Festante gives new life to neglected instrumental and choral works from the Baroque to the Romantic eras. The group has recorded for various German labels.

L'Arpa Festante is a durable survivor among German historical instrument groups, having been founded in 1983 by violinist Michi Gaigg. She remained its director and concertmaster until 1995. The group was sometimes known as the Barockorchester L'Arpa Festante ("Baroque Orchestra L'Arpa Festante") or even BOLAF, but since its repertory expanded forward into the Classical and Romantic eras, this has been used less often. The name L'Arpa Festante comes from that of a cantata by Giovanni Battista Maccioni and means The Festive Harp; that work had its premiere in 1653 as part of the inauguration ceremonies for what would eventually become the Bavarian State Opera. In its earlier years, the group focused on lesser-known works of the German Baroque, especially those by members of the <a href="spotify:artist:5aIqB5nVVvmFsvSdExz408">Bach</a> family. L'Arpa Festante made its recording debut in 1991 on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Amati%22">Amati</a> label with the album Lully in Deutschland. In 1995, the group joined the Marburger Bachchor on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Genuin%22">Genuin</a> label for an album of works by Jan Dismas Zelenka; since then, it has partnered with a variety of regional German choirs in choral music.

L'Arpa Festante has emphasized recording over live performance; it has no website, although it is featured on that of the Bach Kantaten Verein and sometimes performs with that group. After Gaigg's departure, L'Arpa Festante has been led by a variety of conductors, including Fritz Näf and, since 2008, Rien Voskuilen; the present concertmaster is Christoph Hesse. The group has about 20 members but can expand to 40 or more for larger works of the Romantic era. L'Arpa Festante's recording catalog has appeared on labels such as <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22CPO%22">CPO</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Carus%22">Carus</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Harmonia+Mundi%22">Harmonia Mundi</a>, and others. In 2023, the group joined the Arcis-Vocalisten Munich choir for a recording of the oratorio Jan Hus on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Oehms+Classics%22">Oehms Classics</a>. ~ James Manheim, Rovi