Siegbert Rampe

Siegbert Rampe is best known for his historically informed concert performances and recordings of keyboard works by Baroque and Classical composers. Though his repertory spans five centuries or more, from the pre-Renaissance era to the late 19th century, he has focused particularly on the works of <a href="spotify:artist:4NJhFmfw43RLBLjQvxDuRS">Mozart</a>, engaging in a series of his complete keyboard works for the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22MDG%22">MDG</a> label. He has also performed many works by <a href="spotify:artist:2oGCBnMefFtcVXsId7LRKe">Froberger</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1py3vNdZzIlMyUlW4TNfwG">Sweelinck</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2qOmGTOq3DzslJlvx77kMR">Muffat</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3Yu1KWrCZ0X79c0BhryYPk">Peter Philips</a>. Since 1995 he has led a parallel career as a conductor, delving largely into works by Baroque composers like <a href="spotify:artist:5aIqB5nVVvmFsvSdExz408">J.S. Bach</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3EwOCXE7NAGZe9UGfundQs">Graupner</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0yeVLYOjmMKlKDGDhYPeRa">Molter</a>. Rampe is one of those artists whose name may only be vaguely familiar to most listeners but has nonetheless been both prolific and successful in the recording studio with nearly 50 titles to his credit as a keyboard player and conductor. In some recordings, like his <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22MDG%22">MDG</a> disc of <a href="spotify:artist:0yeVLYOjmMKlKDGDhYPeRa">Molter</a> works, he performed as both keyboard player (harpsichord, in this case) and conductor. Beside <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22MDG%22">MDG</a>, Rampe has recorded for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22EMI%22">EMI</a> and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Virgin+Classics%22">Virgin Classics</a>.

Siegbert Rampe was born in the South German city of Pforzheim. His keyboard studies were inclusive of a range of instruments: harpsichord, organ, piano, and fortepiano. His list of teachers included <a href="spotify:artist:7Fu8GId2mQkNzqDbZbcDWM">Ton Koopman</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4AbBSxeuHnqpED15tVtnap">Kenneth Gilbert</a>, Ludger Lohmann, and <a href="spotify:artist:0VelZYNiFVkSlRrLP2w9G8">Helmut Lachenmann</a>. Rampe's official debut took place in 1983 at the Ferrara-based <a href="spotify:artist:3t1716FlIhsjG7C26XkR2F">Frescobaldi</a> Festival.

In 1987 the busy Rampe began making his first recordings for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22EMI%22">EMI</a> and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Virgin%22">Virgin</a>. The following year he founded the period-instrument ensemble Nova Stravaganza and would appear in many concerts and recordings with them over the years. In 1995 Rampe began performing as conductor, particularly in the works of <a href="spotify:artist:5aIqB5nVVvmFsvSdExz408">J.S. Bach</a>, wherein he often employed not only Nova Stravaganza, but the vocal ensemble Arcani Musicali. That same year his 400-page volume on <a href="spotify:artist:4NJhFmfw43RLBLjQvxDuRS">Mozart</a>'s keyboard works was published. Numerous other books and articles on music would follow, as well as performing editions of works by <a href="spotify:artist:5aIqB5nVVvmFsvSdExz408">J.S. Bach</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2oGCBnMefFtcVXsId7LRKe">Froberger</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1py3vNdZzIlMyUlW4TNfwG">Sweelinck</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4JSWO1Pf2zV991fq64uAce">Rameau</a>, and several others.

In 1996 Rampe joined the faculty at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, Germany, serving as professor of historical performance practices and keyboard studies. Four years later he became a music professor at the Mozarteum Universität in Salzburg. Among his first recordings as a conductor was the 2002 <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22MDG%22">MDG</a> CD Bach: The Early Overtures with Nova Stravaganza. His later recordings include the 2008 release on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22MDG%22">MDG</a> of Vol. 7 of the complete <a href="spotify:artist:4NJhFmfw43RLBLjQvxDuRS">Mozart</a> keyboard works, followed by Vol. 9 in 2009 and Vol. 11 in 2010.