The orchestra Arte dei Suonatori was formed in Poznań (Poland) in 1993 by the violin players Ewa and Aureliusz Goliński and has become the most widely recognized Polish ensemble of its kind, with a repertoire exceeding 600 compositions and representing a wide range of styles and forms of 17th- and 18th-century music.
Since 1998 the orchestra has initiated an extensive series of early music events evolving into ‘Early Music – Persona Grata’, a festival which is now the biggest cycle of concerts in Poland dedicated to historically informed performances. Apart from five other festivals of which Arte dei Suonatori has been co-founder and co-organizer, the ensemble has performed all over Europe as well as in the United States. Its concerts have been broadcast by numerous European radio stations including the BBC, NDR, Danish Radio DR and Polish Radio PR2, as well as filmed by Polish Television.
Since the beginning of its activities, the ensemble has worked with many major figures of the early music scene. Among more than 40 soloists and conductors, the following may be mentioned: Rachel Podger, Hidemi Suzuki, Alexis Kossenko, Maria Keohane and the recorder player Dan Laurin, with whom Arte dei Suonatori has recorded works by Telemann [BIS-1185] as well as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons [BIS-1605]. A long-term collaboration with Martin Gester has resulted in a highly acclaimed set of Handel’s 12 Concerti grossi, Op.6 [BIS-1705/06], and the team’s previous release, Ouvertures pittoresques [BIS-1979] with works by Telemann received critical praise: ‘The unanimity of the string and woodwind playing and the warmth of timbre are admirable and winning qualities here’ (International Record Review).
