Gamba and lute duo Romina Lischka and Sofie Vanden Eynde occupy a specialised but no less special place in the panoply of early music ensembles. . Both are driven by an absolute dedication to the richness of the repertoire for their instruments. Romina and Sofie met while studying together in Basel, Switzerland, and have been performing together ever since, in venues including Concertgebouw Brugge, Konserthuset Stockholm, and the Birmingham Symphony Hall. Their first CD, En Suite, garnered a 5* Diapason review and was named best Classical CD of 2015 at the Belgian Klara Music Awards. In this new project, Orpheus’ Noble Strings — their first joint venture with a singer — Thomas Hobbs’ rich timbre spurs the group on in its continual search for new sounds. In 2015/16, Orpheus‘ Noble Strings toured Belgium (AMUZ), Lithuania (Banchetto Musicale Vilnius), Poland (Poznań Baroque) and the Netherlands (Kasteelconcerten).

The Project

In their new recording, Orpheus’ Noble Strings, the Austrian-Flemish duo have teamed up with tenor Thomas Hobbs to explore the many facets of the Orpheus myth, featuring English lute songs by John Danyel, Thomas Campion, William Corkine, John Dowland and Tobias Hume.

Orpheus' Noble Strings

Orpheus and his lyre: how to better picture the power of music? Orpheus could move stones to tears, he even moved to pity the gates of death. Music overturns the world, this the composers of the English Renaissance knew very well. Even more, music is the soul of the world, a unifying force. Thomas Hobbs celebrates the many facets of music in lutesongs, in particular those of by T. Campion and J. Danyel. It is not solely the lute which accompanies the song, but also less frequently heard instruments such as the bass viol and lyra viol. With their generous strings, these instruments bring to the ears the sound of Orpheus’ magical lyre.

The Musicians

Thomas Hobbs, tenor

Thomas-hobbs-1455619544

English tenor Thomas Hobbs has already earned a reputation which belies his status as a relative newcomer. Born in Exeter, Thomas studied history before transferring to the Royal College of Music. His singing career has taken him across Europe and to the United States, Australia, and East Asia, encompassing operas, oratorios and recitals. Ensembles Thomas has worked with include Collegium Vocale Gent, de Nederlandse Bachvereniging, and Ensemble Pygmalion.

http://www.thomashobbs.co.uk

Duo Romina Lischka & Sofie Vanden Eynde

Romina Lischka was born in Vienna. She studied viola da gamba at Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, and North Indian classical voice (Dhrupad) at Rotterdam Conservatory and in India. She has featured as a soloist with, among others, Collegium Vocale Gent, Gli Angeli Genève, Barokksolistene, and MCO in Europe, the USA and Japan. In 2012/13 Romina has been chosen as 'ECHO Rising Star' of BOZAR and Concertgebouw Amsterdam in the category of early music. In the same year she founded the Hathor Consort, which specialises in Renaissance and Baroque consort repertoire.

http://www.rominalischka.eu

Sofie Vanden Eynde, born in Lommel (Belgium), trained at the Royal Conservatories of Brussels and Ghent and at Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. In addition to her solo work, her joint performances include collaborations with Romina Lischka, Lieselot De Wilde, Rebecca Ockenden, Lore Binon, and Benjamin Glorieux. She has worked with ensembles such as the Hathor Consort, Bel Ayre, Neue Hofkapelle Graz, and L’Acherón. Sofie set up IMAGO MUNDI in 2012 as a musical melting pot— a place for encounters between different musical genres, early and contemporary music, and Western and Eastern traditions.

http://www.sofievandeneynde.be

We would like to thank you for your interest in our music.

Your financial support for this project would mean a great deal to us.

Label Paraty

Paraty Records was founded in 2007 by harpsichordist and conductor Bruno Procopio. The label's goal is to create a new dynamic movement in the classical recording industry. Created by musicians and for musicians, Paraty is the quintessential 21st century record label, dedicated to realizing musicians' projects of the highest calibre.

Paraty is developing a rich, vast catalog of albums recorded by an elite group of young French artists interested in informed performance practice. Special attention is brought to each project, including texts by musioclogical specialists and elegant images and graphic design. In 2010, the label was awarded the 'CD of the Year' award at the 'Victoires de la Musique Classique', the most prestigious recognition of its kind in France.

http://www.paraty.fr/

Recording timeline

The CD was recorded in Sint-Truiden (Belgium) in January 2016. It is scheduled for release with Paraty in June 2016.

Duo Romina Lischka and Sofie Vanden Eynde are recording a new CD with tenor Thomas Hobbs!

The publications