Custos Consort - From Leipzig to Versailles

Two powers 

The map of Baroque Europe was divided by clearly marked borders. Consequently, in addition to political and military rivalries, there were audible and visible differences in the arts, due to linguistic and cultural differences as well as rhetorical ones. In many cases, borders were also seen by artists as a connecting link and a repository of possibilities. This is why the cultural imprint of other countries can be found in the works. For example, the undeniable Italian influence in the Telemann and Leclair Trio Sonatas.

The royal court of Versailles 

The royal court of Louis XIV, the Sun King, at Versailles was a hub of art and music. It is from this almost inexhaustible source that Custos Consort's early music ensemble presents the aforementioned sonata for three instruments by J.M. Leclair, as well as the trio sonata in D minor by Marin Marais, one of the most celebrated court composers to this day, which the composer concludes, like an opera, with a grandiose chaconne.

The music of Germany: Bach and Telemann 

Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann are undoubtedly among the best-known figures in German Baroque music. In his own time, at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, it was Telemann who was the truly recognised star composer. With a good business sense, he ran a sheet music shop, was a music director and a close friend of Johann Sebastian Bach, whose most promising son, Carl Philip Emanuel Bach, he was also godfather to. We now know that the genius of these two composers is not worth comparing, because while Telemann was a true Baroque composer, Bach was a master who consummated an era, a master who completed an era. We can now say with certainty that the statement of the Leipzig city authorities of the time that they were forced to 'make do' with Johann Sebastian Bach is not true.

Custos Consort early music ensemble's recording "From Leipzig to Versailles" will be available for purchase after the concert, where the artists will also sign the copies. 

Custos Consort Early Music Ensemble 

From the moment it was founded, the ensemble has strived to present so-called early music in a way that is authentic to the times but also meets today's demands. 

Their concerts feature a wide variety of instruments, ranging from small chamber ensembles to chamber orchestras. It is instruments that often seem forgotten, like the viola da gamba, the recorder, the lute, or even the medieval harp and percussion that make their performances a colourful whole. 

Custos Consort's repertoire of early music ranges from the early Renaissance through the Baroque period to Classical works for baritone and chamber orchestra. Their programmes prioritise the exploration and performance of the repertoire composed for the viola da gamba family, mature French baroque compositions, and sacred and secular music of the Middle Ages. 

In 2009 the ensemble was awarded the distinguished Grand Prize of the Kőszeg Chamber Music Festival. 

Its members are regular guests in a number of prestigious Hungarian and international ensembles.

They have recorded CDs with Hungaroton and other record companies.

Their concerts and CD recordings have been the subject of several laudatory reviews.

Custos Consort Early Music Ensemble 

Fruzsina Márkus-Zalatnay - Baroque flute

Sándor Szászvárosi - viola da gamba 

Mátyás Ölveti - viola da gamba 

Zoltán Tegyei – harpsichord

Ticket price: 1000 Ft