Capriccio Stravagante

Founded in 1986, Capriccio Stravagante is a durable Renaissance and Baroque orchestral and choral ensemble. The group is unusually flexible in its makeup, appearing with anywhere from four to 40 musicians, and at times, as few as three and as many as 70; these forces present unusual continuo realizations and other unique performances of established music. The group has a busy schedule, including major concert halls in Europe, Britain, and North America. Its recording catalog includes the 2025 release Dowland: Lachrimae. Capriccio Stravagante was formed in Paris in 1986 by the harpsichordist and conductor Skip Sempé, who remains its director as of the mid-2020s. The musicians are an international group, chosen by Sempé personally on the basis of mastery of period instruments and of a certain dramatic temperament. A notable feature of the group's performing and recording career has been its varying makeup; it presents distinctive realizations of the varying forms in which Renaissance and Baroque music may appear; larger groups, with several dozen musicians, have been presented as the Capriccio Stravagante Renaissance Orchestra; Capriccio Stravagante Orchestra and Capriccio Stravagante Opera presentations have also been given. The group was named for an unorthodox 1626 composition by Carlo Farina. Capriccio Stravagante soon attracted the attention of recording companies, and in 1992, the ensemble released its debut album, Henry Purcell: Airs and Instrumental Music on the DHM Deutsche Harmonia Mundi label. More albums for that label followed in the 1990s. Capriccio Stravagante maintains a busy concert schedule of several dozen concerts annually, many of them taking place at prestigious venues such as the Opéra Royal in Versailles, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and Wigmore Hall in London. The group is especially visible at festivals all over France and Western Europe, and it has mounted tours throughout Europe, the U.S., and Canada. The ensemble's concept allows for the presentation of anything from small chamber works to large choral and operatic spectacles. Capriccio Stravagante went on to record for leading French early music labels, including Astrée, Naïve, and Alpha, and in the mid-2000s, Sempé formed the group's own Paradizo label. Several albums have appeared there, including 2025's Dowland: Lachrimae, which featured a fresh interpretation of that score in which varied sets of musicians are possible. ~ James Manheim, Rovi