L’Arpeggiata
Director: Christina Pluhar
Christina Pluhar is one of the most innovative musicians on the early music scene, who crosses the boundaries of musical styles in her projects and is more convincing than almost any other artist.
With her unbridled passion for making music, she won the ECHO Klassik in 2009, 2010 and 2011. In 2018, L’Arpeggiata was awarded the title of “Ensemble of the Year” by OPUSKLASSIK.
The highly decorated ensemble l’Arpeggiata was founded in 2000 by Christina Pluhar and consists exclusively of virtuoso and artistically outstanding musicians. In collaboration with soloists from a wide variety of musical backgrounds, the ensemble delights audiences and the press all over the world with unconventional, rousing performances.
Named after the toccata of the same name by Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger, L’Arpeggiata has specialized entirely in the performance of 17th century music.
Their exuberant joy of playing, love of improvisation and willingness to experiment meet the musical craft of historical performance practice. Numerous concert tours have taken the ensemble throughout Europe, Australia, South America, Japan, China, New Zealand and the USA.
The numerous recordings have been awarded every imaginable prize, including the “Cannes Classical Award”, the “Diapason d’Or” and the “Echo Klassik”, which Christina Pluhar and L’Arpeggiata received for the albums “Homo fugit velut umbra”, “La Tarantella”, “Teatro d’amore”, in 2010 for “Via Crucis”, in 2011 for “Vespro della beata vergine” and in 2012 for “Los Párajos Perdidos”. The CD project “Mediterraneo” with the fado singer Misia was released in March 2013, the CD “Music for a while – Improvisations on Purcell” with Philippe Jaroussky was released in March 2014, “Francesco Cavalli – L’Amore innamorato” was released in 2015, “Orfeo Chaman”, an opera composed and arranged by Christina Pluhar was released in 2016. In 2017, the extremely successful album “Händel goes wild” with the star countertenor Valer Sabadus was released, which was awarded the OPUSKLASSIK in 2018. In 2018 the album “Himmelsmusik” with Philippe Jaroussky and Céline Scheen was released, in 2019 the album “Luigi Rossi – La lyra d’Orfeo & Arpa davidica” with Véronique Gens, Philippe Jaroussky, Valer Sabadus, Jakub Josef Orlinsky, Giuseppina Bridelli and Céline Scheen was released and in 2021 the album “Alla Napoletana” was released Céline Scheen, Bruno de' Sa, Valer Sabadus, Luciana Mancini, Vincenzo Capezzuto, Alessandro Giangrande and Joao Fernandez.
Céline Scheen
Soprano
Céline Scheen studied flute and singing at the conservatory in Verviers. Even though the Belgian's childhood dream was to become a French chanson or rock singer, she studied classical concert and opera singing at the Royal Conservatory in Mons. She continued her studies at the Brussels Conservatory, at the Brussels Chapelle musicale Reine Elisabeth and at the Guildhall School of Music in London with Vera Rosza, who convinced her to devote herself to early music. Scheen rose to fame when she took part in a much-acclaimed recording of Gérard Corbiau's film "Le Roi Danse" with Musica Antiqua Cologne under the direction of Reinhard Goebel for the Deutsche Grammophon label. Since then, she has performed with a wide repertoire in numerous opera productions, including: at the Grand Théâtre du Luxembourg, Théâtre de Caen and Opérra du Rhin, including the roles of Thérèse in Poulenc's "Les mamelles de Tirésias", Frasquita in Bizet's "Carmen", Grilletta in Haydn's "Lo speziale", Zerlina in Mozart's "Don Giovanni" and Philonoé in Lully's "Bellérophon". Under the direction of René Jacobs, she was heard at the Brussels opera house La Monnaie in Gluck's "Alceste", Cavalli's "Eliogabalo" and Mozart's "The Magic Flute".
As a concert singer, she sang solo roles in works from Bach and Mozart to Fauré and Orff. She has performed with ensembles such as Musica Antiqua Köln, Il Fondamento, Ricercar Consort, Capella Mediterranea, La Fénice, La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, Les Talens Lyriques, L'Arpegggiata and Le Concert des Nations, as well as with musicians such as Leonardo García- Alarcón, Jean Tubéry, Andrea Marcon, Christophe Rousset, Jordi Savall and Christina Pluhar. Concert tours have taken the singer to the musical centers of Europe, to New Zealand and to New York's Carnegie Hall.
Benedetta Mazzucato
Mezzo-soprano
Originally from Reggio Emilia, Benedetta Mazzucato took her first steps on stage at the age of thirteen at the Operina Brundibar of the Ariosto Theater in her hometown, in Prague and in Cremona. From the age of sixteen, she collaborated with various musical associations as a soloist and cellist.
From 2007 to 2011, she was part of the choir of the Regio Theater in Parma and participated in the academy of the Rossini Opera Festival. In the same year, she graduated as a contralto at the Reggio Emilia Conservatory with the highest marks. In 2012, Benedetta was chosen to participate in the Young Singer Project "Domingo Thorton" at the Los Angeles Theater under the direction of Maestro Domingo and in Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde symphony with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. In 2013, she participated in the "Jardin des Voix" directed by Maestro W. Christie and in the Salzburg Young Singers Program where she played the Third Lady in The Magic Flute. Her subsequent projects include the Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas at the Teatro delle Terme di Caracalla in Rome and Liège, Zulma in L'Italiana d'Alger in Vichy, Clearco in Gasparini's Bajazet at the Barga Opera Festival, Nireno in Giulio Cesare in Toulon, Cato in Catone in Utica at the Barga Opera Festival, the title role of Silla in Handel's Lucio Silla at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Dori in La Grotta di Trofonio at the Festival della Valle d'Itria and at the San Carlo in Naples and Cornelia in Giulio Cesare at the Cairo Opera. He has participated in several productions of the Ensemble l'Arpeggiata such as Orfeo Chaman in Bogotà and Ludwigsburg, Speranza and Ninfa in Monteverdi's Orfeo, Second Witch in Dido & Aeneas at the Utrecht Early Music Festival and Messa Sancez e Bertali.
Among her most recent debuts, we find her in the role of Juditha in Juditha Triumphans by A. Vivaldi in Turin under the direction of M° R. Jais, Mortdecai in the Oratorio Hester at the Halle festival with the La Risonanza ensemble conducted by M° F. Bonizzoni, Ottavia dell'Incoronazione di Poppea with the Ensemble Matheus conducted by Maestro JC. Spinosi and Flerida in Cavalli's opera Erismena under the direction of Maestro L.G. Alarcon and the Cappella Mediterranea ensemble. She recently made her debut on the Karlsruhe stage in the role of Bradamante in Handel's Alcina under the direction of M° A. Spering and will be seen again in the oratorio Maddalena au pied du Christ which already made its debut in 2017 at the Le Puy-en-Velay and Rennes Festivals, the CD of which will be released soon, in the company of the Ensemble Le Banquet Céleste conducted by M° D. Guillon.
Luciana Mancini
Mezzo-soprano
The Chilean/Swedish mezzo-soprano Luciana Mancini studied classical singing, opera and early music at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague with Rita Dams, Jill Feldman, Michael Chance, Peter Kooij and Diane Forlando. In 2009 she obtained her master's degree with a focus on 17th century Italian repertoire.
Her opera repertoire also includes the role of Bradamante in Luigi Rossi's 'Il Palazzo Incantato', Dafne in Peri's 'L'Euridice', Messaggiera in Monteverdi's 'Orfeo', Enone in Bonempi's opera 'Il paride', Amastre in Handel's opera 'Serse' and many more.
Her baroque repertoire includes the important oratorios of Bach and some roles from Handel's works such as Matilde in 'Lotario', Galatea in 'Aci, Galatea e Polifemo' and Cleofe in 'La Resurrezione' with the ensemble Contrasto Armonico.
In 2008 she sang Messagera in Monteverdi's 'L'Orfeo' with the Choeur de Chambre de Namur and the ensemble La Fenice under the direction of Jean Tubéry at the Vantaa Baroque Festival, Festival Baroque de Pontoise, Bilbao and Warsaw. In 2009 and 2010 she toured various theaters in Germany and Poland in the role of Amastre in Handel's opera 'Serse' with the Lautten Compagney under Wolfgang Katchner.
She sang the role of Enone in the opera ‘Il Paride’ in 2011 in Potsdam and in 2012 in Innsbruck under the direction of Christina Pluhar in a production by Christoph von Bernuth. In 2011 she sang the role of Amastre in Handel’s ‘Serse’ at the Theater an der Wien under Jean-Christophe Spinosi. In 2012 Luciana Mancini sang the roles of Volupia and Didone in a production of Cavalli’s ‘Egisto’ directed by Benjamin Lazar at the Opéra-Comique and the Opéra de Rouen Haute Normandie with Poème Harmonique.
In 2011 and 2012 she took part in the stage production ‘Combattimento’ together with L’Arpeggiata and the Sicilian puppeteer Mimmo Cutticchio at the Ludwigsburg Castle Festival.
Together with L’Arpeggiata, Luciana Mancini has performed in programs such as Cavalieri’s ‘La Rappresentatione di Anima e di Corpo’ at the Flanders Festival in Bruges, Festival de Música Sacra in Cuenca, Festival de Semana Santa in Valladolid and at the Festival de Sablè, as well as the programs ‘Los Imposibles’, ‘Via Crucis’, and ‘All’Improviso’ in various European cities and took part in the creation of the program ‘La Notte d’Amore’ together with Dominique Visse at the Ludwigsburg Castle Festival. In 2010 she recorded the ‘Vespro della Beata Vergine’ by Claudio Monteverdi under the direction of Christina Pluhar for virgin/EMI classics and sang the work in Poissy, Metz, Ghent and Barcelona. Luciana Mancini celebrated a remarkable success with L’Arpeggiata in 2011 with the recording of the new CD ‘Los Pajaros perdidos’, on which she shines with her preference for the traditional repertoire of South America and, since the release of the CD with L’Arpeggiata, has been very well received by audiences in concert halls and festivals such as Carnegie Hall, the Heidelberger Frühling, the Ludwigsburg Castle Festival, the Salle Gaveau and the Téâtre Châtelet in Paris.
Vincenzo Capezzuto
Alt
Born in 1979 in Salerno, Vincenzo Capezzuto initially studied classical dance at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples and was a solo dancer with the Italian dance company Aterbaletto from 2005 to 2011. In 2009, Christina Pluhar discovered him as a singer. Since then, he has worked regularly with L'Arpeggiata and has appeared on the CDs "Via Crucis" (2010), "Los Pajaros Perdidos" (2012), "Mediterraneo (2013) and "Music for a while" (2014). In addition to the Ludwigsburg Castle Festival, he has performed with L'Arpeggiata at other international music festivals such as the Hong Kong Festival and the Dresden Music Festival, as well as at Carnegie Hall in New York and Wigmore Hall in London. He also developed the cross-genre art project »Soqquadro Italiano« together with director Claudio Borggiani, with which he performed at the Venice Biennale, among other places. In 2013 he recorded baroque Venetian gondola songs with the baroque orchestra Pomo d’oro (Riccardo Minasi), which were released as a CD with the book 'Gondola' by Donna Leon.
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Photo (c) Michael Uneffer
