How was music played in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries – and can we rediscover means of expression that were lost in the twentieth century?
Tamuz was created in Berlin in 2017 by a group of young musicians who all wanted to experiment with classical and romantic chamber music in a radically different way, developing a common language based on a historically informed approach. By becoming familiar with the traditions and tastes of the past and by reading between the lines of the musical text, they engage with the music they play in a new way, allowing expression to be the leading principle of their performances even if this means diverging from modern concert hall and recording practices. Using original scores and historical documents, the members of the ensemble try to achieve both a faithful and a personal interpretation.
Inspired by the 19th century salons, the Tamuz Ensemble aims to create intimate concert experiences in which direct communication with the audience is a central element. By talking about the music they play and sitting in a circle amidst their listeners rather than on a stage whenever possible, they engage in conversation with their audience, away from the formality of modern day concert halls. Casting a wide net, the ensemble works on a very diverse repertoire including the “Art of Fugue” by Johann Sebastian Bach, the string quintets of Schubert, Onslow and Boccherini, but also arrangements of Lieder by Beethoven or Fanny Mendelssohn and arias of Mozart. Collaborating with singers and other instrumentalists, the ensemble seeks to bring forgotten works or neglected composers back on to the stage and to cast a new light on each of the pieces they play.
During the last few years, the Tamuz Ensemble has played in Holland, Switzerland, Italy and Germany, including their debut concert at the Konzerthaus Berlin. In 2022, the ensemble was invited to spend some time at the Centro di musica antica Ghislieri in Pavia, Italy, in order to continue their research into romantic performance practice in collaboration with Professor Clive Brown. The musicians are currently sponsored by the Zentrum für Alte Musik Köln and their "Zamus : advanced" program. In 2023, they will record for the WDR in Cologne and publish their first album, and play concerts all over Europe, including their first collaboration with clarinettist Lorenzo Coppola.
By commissioning works by young composers, the ensemble also seeks to establish connections between the music of past centuries and the music of today.
