About

The Quinta Essentia quartet is the main Brazilian recorder ensemble, and one of the most important chamber music groups of the present time. Its unusual formation of four musicians but only one instrument inspires new works, encourages new audiences and promotes Brazilian culture and chamber music in different countries.

“Once all members played together, it created a sound unmatched by anything I’ve heard before. It was music of the heavens, and the quartet was the angelic ensemble playing at the gates”
(NEIU Independent, 2016)

A concert by Quinta Essentia is a magical time in which the endless possibilities of the recorder can be experienced. Performing in an eclectic and very musical way, Quinta Essentia introduces the versatility of the recorder and its family of instruments in different musical settings. In an unusual and independent ensemble line-up the Ensemble shows that the recorder is a delightful musical instrument suitable for all audiences.

In its international career the group has performed in Italy (2009/2010), France (2009/2014), Germany (2009), China (2010), Namibia (2012) and Bolivia (2014), giving concerts at important events such as the opening of the Francesco Maria Ruspoli Prize for baroque music in Italy, and at festivals dedicated to Early Music, at the International Festival of American Renaissance and Baroque Music “Misiones de Chiquitos” in Bolivia, and at the Festival Les Festes Baroques en Terre des Graves et du Sauternais in Bordeaux/France.

“It is more than a musical ensemble – it is part of a movement on behalf of the recorder and spreading the potential of this instrument”
(Andre Egg, music review, 2009)

The national music reviews highlight Quinta Essentia’s great contribution to the Brazilian recorder music scene by broadening the number of performances for the instrument, producing content through their blog and forming new audiences through concerts FLAUTA, FLAUTINHA, FLAUTÃO!

In 2007 the group created the ENFLAMA – the National Meeting for the recorder. Organizing three of the seven itinerant events (2007, 2012, 2013), bringing together flutists from several Brazilian states and from different Latin American countries. This is how the group brought the renowned recorder player Paul Leenhouts (Netherlands / USA) to Brazil. Quinta Essentia and Paul Leenhouts have worked together on several occasions, such as at the concert held at MASP Concerto Hall in 2012, and the artist residency in 2015, a milestone for the Brazilian recorder community.

“A curious ensemble that presents the sound of the recorder in a different approach”
(Paraná Online, 2009)

Winner of several awards, the group is producing an important discography for the recorder in Brazil. The album “La Marca” (2008) was a result of the Stimulus Award 2007’ from the Secretary of State for Culture in São Paulo, and with their second album, recently completed, “Falando Brasileiro” (2014), the group marked the presence of the recorder in the national chamber music landscape.

The collection of instruments used by the group contains both ancient and modern instruments. Besides baroque recorders , the group makes use of a Renaissance consort by the luthier Adrian Brown, and modern recorders such as the “square recorders” as they are known affectionately by the Brazilian public, the harmonic recorders – Helder and Tarasov ones, the “dream recorders”, and in addition, the newest member: the Eagle recorder. This interesting collection of instruments from the recorder family turns each concert into an experience which is even richer for the public.

All members of the Quinta Essentia are also recorder teachers. This artistic activity is of utmost importance for music education, as an artistic example for the students. Thus, in parallel with their artistic career, the group members are constantly involved in pedagogical training to teach young musicians and music lovers to a standard of excellence.

Quinta Essentia introduces the beauty which the results of their research into the repertoire and interpretation bring to the purpose of spreading awareness of the recorder, its repertoire and also new music composed especially for the group. This mastery feeds the history of such an old instrument and its literature into our time.

Music

Caboclo
The Quinta Essentia presents the modern recorder consort in a classical Brazilian music repertoire. Caboclo is the newest group’s project, in which they present the extraordinary Brazilian melodies never played before on recorder consort. Villa-Lobos and Radamés Gnattali, two great composers that translated all the Brazilian accents, exotic flavors and stunning landscapes into their music. Going beyond the compositions, the group adds their personal taste and sounds with their modern recorder consort, charming the audience by their virtuoso playing.

Impressionist Seasons
featuring Debussy, Ravel, Satie, Piazzolla and Boulanger

The Art of Fugue BWV 1080 - J. S. Bach

Videos

Audio