THE ENSEMBLE
La Morra is well-established as one of Europe’s leading ensembles for late medieval and early Renaissance art music.
An international vocal-instrumental formation named after Henricus Isaac’s famous instrumental fantasia, La Morra makes its home in Basel, the cosmopolitan cultural capital of Switzerland, where the tradition of historically informed performance of early music at the renowned Schola Cantorum Basiliensis dates back to the 1930s.
Under the joint artistic leadership of Corina Marti and Michał Gondko, La Morra re-configures itself according to the requirements of the repertoire, usually numbering four to seven musicians.
Reputed for the evocative, thoroughly researched programming as well as interpretations that “never fail to keep the listener’s attention alive” (Gramophone), the ensemble is constantly busy performing and recording. It has travelled extensively across Europe as well as in the United States and in the Far East, appearing in prestigious early music festivals and concert series.
La Morra’s CD releases are enthusiastically received. Among the proofs of this are numerous phonographic distinctions (a. o. Diapason d’Or and Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik) and the constantly high ratings in the international music press.
FACTS
- Year of foundation 2000
- Albums released to date 14 (see Recordings)
- Recording labels BELGIUM: Ramée, Ricercar (Outhere Music), Et’Cetera (Codaex), Megadisc Classics | SPAIN: Glossa (Note1) | GERMANY: Raumklang | SWITZERLAND: Musiques Suisses | JAPAN: Oasis Music Factory
- Awards Noah Greenberg Award (American Musicological Society) (2015), Jahrespreis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (2012), Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (2012)
- Award nominations International Classical Music Award (2013), Gramophone Award (2012)
- Phonographic distinctions Diapason d’Or (2019, 2016, 2011), 5 de Diapason (multiple times), Crescendo Joker (multiple times), Pizzicato Supersonic (multiple times), Goldberg 5, Le Monde de la Musique 4, Hi-Res Audio, A as Audiophile
- Selected appearances BELGIUM: Amuz, Festival van Vlaanderen (various branches), Les Nuits de Septembre | CHINA: Early Music Season at the Forbidden City, Tianjin Grand Theatre, Qintai Concert Hall (Wuhan) | CROATIA: Diocletian’s Cellars (Split) | FINLAND: Sastamala Gregoriana, Kangasala-Talo, Helsinki Musiikkitalo | FRANCE: Voix et Route Romane, Rencontres de Musique Médiévale du Thoronet | GERMANY: Tage alter Musik in Regensburg, Via Mediaeval, Montalbâne | IRELAND: Kilkenny Arts Festival | ITALY: Ravenna Festival, Festival Internazionale di Musica Antica Erice, Il Canto delle Pietre | LITHUANIA: Banchetto Musicale | THE NETHERLANDS: Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, Netwerk Oude Muziek, Musica Sacra Maastricht, Stichting Musica Antica da Camera | NORWAY: Oslo Internasjonale Kirkemusikkfestival | POLAND: Actus Humanus, Misteria Paschalia, Muzyka w Raju, Wratislavia Cantans, Filharmonia Narodowa, Festiwal Muzyki Jednogłosowej, Pieśń Naszych Korzeni | SWITZERLAND: Freunde alter Musik Basel, Festtage “Herbst des Mittelalters”, Festival Alte Musik Zürich, Les Riches Heures de la Valère, St. Galler Festspiele, Cantar di Pietre, Les Goûts Réunis | PORTUGAL: Festival Internacional de Música da Póvoa de Varzim | UNITED KINGDOM: York Early Music Festival, London Spitalfields Festival, Cambridge Early Music, Stour Music | UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Music Before 1800, San Francisco Early Music Society, San Diego Early Music Society, Yale Collection of Musical Instruments, Houston Early Music, The Da Camera Society of Mount St. Mary’s College, The Chamber Music Society of Saint Cloud, Early Music Guild of Seattle, Early Music Now (Milwaukee), Williams Center for the Arts (Lafayette College), Schubert Club