Berliner Barock Solisten
Information
Biography
Historically informed performance on modern instruments was the guiding idea when members of the Berliner Philharmoniker and leading early music specialists formed the Berliner Barock Solisten in 1995. The ensemble was founded on the initiative of Rainer Kussmaul, then first concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker, and violinist Raimar Orlovsky. Kussmaul, an internationally experienced Baroque specialist, led the group until 2012. Its members deliberately chose to perform music of the 17th and 18th centuries on modern instruments, drawing on historically informed performance practice to develop the ensemble’s distinctive sound.
After Kussmaul stepped down in 2012, artistic leadership was entrusted to different musicians for individual projects, including Bernhard Forck, Gottfried von der Goltz, Daishin Kashimoto, Noah Bendix-Bagley and Wolfram Brandl. Soloists who have appeared with the ensemble include Anne-Sophie Mutter, Anne Sofie von Otter, Julia Leznehva, Dorothee Oberlinger, Reinhold Friedrich, Andreas Staier, Daniil Trifonov, Frank Peter Zimmermann and Janine Jansen, alongside soloists from the Berliner Philharmoniker.
The ensemble has a particular commitment to reviving unjustly neglected works, especially those of Georg Philipp Telemann, and exploring music by lesser-known Baroque composers. The Barock Solisten first performed with Reinhard Goebel in 2014; he became their artistic director in 2018. Their extensive discography includes numerous award-winning recordings. A recent highlight is their new recording of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with Daishin Kashimoto, recorded in 2026 and released on the Berliner Philharmoniker’s own label.
Musicians
Kotowa Machida
Raimar Orlovsky
Dorian Xhoxhi
Eva Rabchevska
Rachel Schmidt
Walter Küssner
Julia Gartemann
Anna Luisa Holonics
Kristin von der Goltz
Oyvind Gimse, Violoncello
Ulrich Wolff
Raphael Alpermann
Official website