Cappella Mediterranea

Claiming a substantial repertoire of early music that reflects its Southern European heritage, Cappella Mediterranea specializes in Latin music of the Baroque era. The ensemble was formed in 2005 by Argentinian conductor Leonardo Garcia Alarcón, with the purpose of pursuing the aesthetics and practices of the 16th through 18th centuries. The group focuses on musicological research into connections between Southern European Baroque music and the folk music of South America, and explores the influences of southern composers on their northern counterparts. Cappella Mediterranea has concentrated on madrigals, motets, instrumental music, and operas, and has revived many neglected works. Michelangelo Falvetti's Il Diluvio Universale was successfully produced at the Ambronay Festival in 2010, and Francesco Cavalli's Eliogabalo was another achievement for the group, who performed it in 2016 at the National Opera of Paris, and in 2017 at the Festival of Aix-en-Provence, the Royal Opéra of Versailles, and the Grand Théâtre of Geneva. The group has also promoted the less familiar works of Barbara Strozzi, Giovanni Giorgi, Giuseppe Zamponi, Mateo Romero, Carolus Hacquart, and Jacques Arcadelt. Cappella Mediterranea was supported by the Orange Foundation from 2009 to 2014, and the group began a residency at the Dijon Opera in 2018. The ensemble has recorded for several labels, including Ricercar, Ambronay, Naïve, and Alpha. ~ Blair Sanderson, Rovi