Il Gardellino

The instrumental ensemble Il Gardellino focuses on Baroque music but has a diverse repertory running as far forward as Beethoven and sometimes beyond. With a core membership of six, the group can expand or contract according to performance needs, making possible a variety of collaborations. In the 21st century, Il Gardellino has been among the most active early music groups in the recording arena, often releasing several albums in the course of a single year. The ensemble's three releases in 2024 (as of early fall) included one on which they backed fortepianist Olga Pashchenko in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, and Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488. Il Gardellino was formed in 1988 in Belgium by flutist Jan De Winne and oboist Marcel Ponseele, who remain the group's musical directors. The ensemble's name, which means "The Goldfinch," is drawn from that of a concerto by Vivaldi. The group's membership has changed over the years, but only slowly. There have been as many as eight permanent members, many of whom have also been active in other leading Belgian, Dutch, and French early music ensembles. In the mid-2020s, the permanent group included, in addition to De Winne and Ponseele, Joanna Huszcza (who serves as concertmaster), Kaat De Cock, Ira Givol, and Julie Rivest. The ensemble also periodically takes on a full complement of string players for small orchestral works and performs as Il Gardellino Orchestra. In 2001, Il Gardellino released its debut album, Johann Graun & Carl Heinrich Graun: Concerti, on the Accent label. The ensemble continued to record for the Accent label through the 2000s decade. Il Gardellino has toured widely, not only in Western Europe but also in Romania, South Korea, the U.S., and Thailand. The group is recognized on the festival circuit, having appeared at the 2013 Festival of Flanders and the 2015 Bucharest Early Music Festival, among other events. Its performing repertory is more varied than that of most of its contemporaries, encompassing various works by Beethoven and even by later composers, including Mahler and Astor Piazzolla. Il Gardellino continued to record for Accent but also moved to the Passacaille label in the 2010s and 2020s and has been quite prolific. The group has often recorded little-known repertory, as on the 2022 album C.P.E. Bach: Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu, on which it joined the Flemish Radio Choir. Il Gardellino has recorded several albums with the innovative fortepianist Olga Pashchenko, including one of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, and Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488, in 2024. ~ James Manheim, Rovi