Ensemble Unicorn is a popular chamber group devoted to the performance of Medieval and early Renaissance music on period instruments. The ensemble consists of five players, though often one or several guest performers, especially singers, will augment their number to accommodate demands of certain repertory. Repertory is, of course, one of the key aspects of the group, another is the instrumentation used in performance. Early or Medieval versions of recorders, harp, and fiddle are used, along with hurdy-gurdy, keyed fiddle, ud, rebec, various ancient flutes, and an array of percussion instruments. The unusual shapes and sizes of the instruments and the sounds they produce set Ensemble Unicorn's style apart from that of most other early music ensembles. Much of its repertory is from anonymous sources and little-known composers like Johannes Ghiselin, Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro, and Antonio Alamanni. But then such luminaries as Josquin Desprez, Machaut, and Dufay also appear on programs and recordings. The group has toured across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Canada and appeared on numerous recordings, most of them available on the Naxos label. Ensemble Unicorn was founded in 1991 in Austria by Michael Posch, the ensemble's director and recorder player. The other members of the group are Marco Ambrosini (fiddle, keyed fiddle), Riccardo Delfino (harp), Thomas Wimmer (fiddle, lute, rebec), and Wolfgang Reithofer (percussion). All of the members perform as soloists and with other early music ensembles, such as Accentus, Oni Wytars, and Concentus Musicus. Some, like Michael Posch, are also teachers, and one, Marco Ambrosini, is a composer. The group regularly performs in Vienna, Linz, and other parts of Austria and in Germany. After formation the ensemble quickly attracted attention in the Viennese and Germanic spheres. It made its first recording in 1994, the Naxos CD Chominciamento di gioia, a collection of anonymous instrumental pieces of dance music. Throughout the remainder of the 1990s and into the new century, the group steadily built its reputation, drawing rave reviews from across Europe and the Middle East, from Ireland, Belgium, and Poland to Turkey, Jordan, and Israel. The 2003 Naxos CD, Music of His Time -- Raphael was a great success and the acclaimed 2004 concert in Bar-le-Duc, France, was recorded for television broadcast. By 2010 Ensemble Unicorn had sold more than 250,000 CDs and carried a sizable schedule of concerts with stops in Russia, Canada, Syria, Iran, Lebanon, and across much of Europe, especially at the major early music festivals.

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Unicorn Ensemble

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