ensemble reconsil
ensemble reconsil wien was founded in 2002 by Alexander Wagendristel, Roland Freisitzer and Thomas Heinisch and is now recognized as one of Austria’s leading ensembles for contemporary music.
In it’s beginnings, the ensemble attracted attention by innovative concert cycles dedicated to performing in Austria rarely heard music (“Reconsil goes East” – including the countries Macedonia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria; and “Reconsil goes Europe” with a.o. Italy, France, Great Britain and Spain) along with music by Austrian composers.
In 2006, the ensemble’s main concert hall and musical home has become the Arnold Schönberg Center in Vienna and has since then worked with well known guests, such as Christine Whittlesey (soprano), Maria Fedotova (Flute), Stefan Östersjö (Guitar), Ernst Kovacic, Elena Denisova, Evgenia Epshtein, Michael Barenboim (Violin) and the conductor Christian Karlsen.
In it’s now nearly 9 years, the ensemble has premiered more than 100 works by composers from Austria and internationally renowned composers from all over the world, like Detlev Müller-Siemens, Sidney Corbett, Michael Finnissy, Michael Blake, Karlheinz Essl, Fredrik Österling, Peter Köszeghy, Olga Rayeva, Faraj Karaev and Andrew Toovey.
Apart from contemporary music, classics of the 20th century (Edgar Varèse, Iannis Xenakis- including the Austrian premiere of KAI, Edison Denisov and Gérard Grisey) and the music of the 2nd Viennese School are a central part of the ensemble’s repertoire. Apart from performing the original works, the ensemble has premiered ensemble versions of Anton Webern’s “Passacaglia”, Arnold Schönberg’s “Violin Concerto” and “Cello Concerto after Monn”, as well as Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto (with Ernst Kovacic).
2007 saw the ensemble take part at the “85 years ISCM Austria Festival” at the “Wiener Konzerthaus” with 5 concerts in 2 days and in 2009, the ensemble was “ensemble in residence” at the “14th Composers Forum Mittersill” (KOFOMI).
2009 also saw the ensemble’s debut at Wien Modern, which has led to another engagement at Wien Modern 2010. 2010 also saw the debut of Ensemble Reconsil at the “Carinthischer Sommer” festival.
During the 2009/2010 season, the ensemble was one of 2 Austrian ensembles (the other being Klangforum Wien) chosen to represent Austria with the RE:NEW MUSIC project, a music project of European Union, with 22 ensembles taking part, such as London Sinfonietta, Oslo Sinfonietta, Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen, Ensemble TM+ and others. A project, which coincidentally furthered the idea of a inner European repertoire exchange of our “Reconsil goes…” projects. The concert representing music by Croatia, Slovakia and Austria was recorded live at the RadioKulturHaus in Vienna on 1st June 2010 and has been released by the German record label “Spektral Records”.
The ensemble has had collaborations with the Music Universities in Graz and Vienna, the INÖK (composers society representing composers from Lower Austria), the composers group “Ambitus” and the Ministry of Culture Azerbaijan.
The ensemble has performed to high critical acclaim in Barcelona, Munich and at the Ohrid Festival. In 2011, the ensemble performed very successful concerts in Seoul and Baku.