For many years the baroque ensemble Passacaglia has been acclaimed for its engaging and charismatic performances of seventeenth and eighteenth-century chamber music, featuring the unique sound of recorders, flutes, violin, viola da gamba and harpsichord.
Featuring some of the UK’s leading period instrument players, the ensemble has appeared at London’s Wigmore Hall and Southbank and has toured in Scotland, Scandinavia, Ireland and America. The ensemble has featured on numerous BBC and worldwide radio broadcasts and has so far recorded six albums, for Linn Records, Naxos and BCR.
“there is an effortlessness about the sound… finely crafted performances from a star line-up”
EARLY MUSIC REVIEW
Annabel Knight (recorders, flutes) has established a successful performing and teaching career as a recorder player and historical flautist, which has taken her across the UK, Europe, America and the Middle East. As well as working with Passacaglia, she is a member of the recorder quintet Fontanella, and has also collaborated with other ensembles including the Maggini String Quartet, with whom she recorded Gordon Jacob’s complete recorder music. Annabel enjoys teaching at all levels; she is the founder and director of the popular Woodhouse Recorder Courses and runs the recorder department at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Annabel can also be heard playing on film soundtracks including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Fantastic Mr Fox and Philomena.
Reiko Ichise (viola da gamba), born in Tokyo, read musicology at Kunitachi College of Music and subsequently at the Royal College of Music in London, where she is now a professor. She has established herself as one of the leading gamba players in UK. As a soloist, she has performed with many leading orchestras including Academy of Ancient Music, Gabrieli Consort, English Baroque Soloists, Arte dei suonatori, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, appearing in many international festivals. Reiko is in great demand as a chamber musician and member of prestigious ensembles such as Passacaglia, Florilegium and the Bach Players. From 2008 for 9 years she was a member of award-winning ensemble, Fretwork, with whom she had the privilege of performing consort music, both old and new.
Robin Bigwood (harpsichord) won the Broadwood Harpsichord Competition in 1995 and nowadays also plays with La Serenissima and Feinstein Ensemble. He teaches harpsichord and continuo at at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Also active in the field of recording and music technology, Robin founded the label Barn Cottage Records and writes for Sound on Sound magazine.
“Each a superb Musician, they form a tight, sensitive ensemble that plays with great passion…”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel