No-nonsense. Period. Instruments.

© 2015 Diego Salamanca

artistically directed by
Korneel Bernolet

conductor
harpsichordist-pianofortist
"Young Belgian Musician of the Year 2014"

assistant-conductor
to Jos van Immerseel
(Anima Eterna Brugge)
and Christophe Rousset
(Les Talens Lyriques)

APOTHEOSIS is a vocal-instrumental collective of historically informed musicians led by harpsichordist-conductor Korneel Bernolet. Their goal is to recreate music from the baroque to the romantic eras, with all possible respect for and knowledge of historical performance practice, while seeking to make their interpretations as fresh and immediate as possible for today's audiences. The starting point of their approach is not merely musicological research, but rather musical experimentation. No-nonsense.

Founded in early 2011 as late-baroque quartet, their debut in Flanders soon led to invitations to perform in the Netherlands and France. In 2012 they graduated summa cum laude from the Antwerp conservatory's chamber music division with a programme of obligatory harpsichord music.
Soon however, the need for a more flexible concept arose, one where the realization of a musical or aesthetic idea became of greater importance than a fixed group with a limited repertoire.

Thus, Apotheosis was born as a dynamic collective on period instruments, exploring repertoire ranging from chamber music and vocal soloists conducted from the harpsichord or pianoforte (Ensemble Apotheosis) to a larger baroque formation or a full-scale symphonic orchestra (Apotheosis Orchestra), presenting music from the 17th through to the 20th century.

Apotheosis' highlights and upcoming projects include:

• A new production of Telemann's opera 'Orpheus' in the Telemann year 2017
  staged by Guy Joosten, sang by students of the International Opera Academy Ghent with performances in Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Waterloo, Hasselt...
  
• Large-scale oratorio productions
  Haydn Schöpfung 2013, Mozart's Messiah 2015, Brahms Requiem 2017
  
• 18th-century orchestral aria's by Mozart, Rameau, Handel...
  with top Belgian sopranos Lieselot De Wilde and Lore Binon
  
• Regular invitations at the Flemish classical broadcast Klara
  Festivals such as Klara in de Singel 2014, Iedereen Klassiek 2015
  
• Multiple radio-, tv- and cd-recordings each year
  
• World-class concert venues
  including Concertgebouw Brugge, De Bijloke Ghent, deSingel Antwerp, CC Hasselt, Lemmensinstituut Leuven, AMUZ Antwerp...
  
• Lots of small and intimate chamber concerts and organ recitals
  Stadsklanken-18 Festival 2013 in AMUZ Antwerp, Organ Festival of Haringe in 2013 and 2014, SCOOP-on-tour for Concertgebouw Brugge in 2015 with baritone Joris Derder, concerts for the Festivals of Bourbourg and Gravelines (F), Baarn and Groede (NL), Horst, Brugge, Veurne, Knokke, Lo, Zelzate... (B)
  

Ensemble Apotheosis recorded a first demo CD 'Le Quatuor Parisien' in 2011 around Telemann and F. Couperin and including works by Abel, Balbastre and Böhm. A second demo CD, 'Flemish Baroque' from 2014, presents world-première recordings of some pieces by De Koninck and Van Maldere, besides solo harpsichord suites by Fiocco and Boutmy.
In January 2016, a first official CD was released with the 'Pièces de clavecin en concerts' by Rameau on Et'cetera, gaining international attention and raving critics.