cantoLX is a Luxembourg based professional vocal ensemble. They focus on Italian baroque music from the 17th century, but also sing renaissance, contemporary and 19th century music. Conductor, keyboard player and composer Frank Agsteribbe is the artistic director.
They believe in a flexible geometry: it is their basic statement to work from a kernel of 5-6 soloists, extending to a chamber choir of 12-16 singers (cantoLX Academy).
In 2020, cantoLX will tour with Dido and Aeneas, Zelenka’s Resposoria, the Flemish Requiem cd program, and 17th century Italian vocal music.
"... Les chanteurs sont regroupés autour de leur chef et claveciniste Frank Agsteribbe. Ces voix, au nombre de six, réunies sous le sigle cantoLX, en solo ou par 2 ou 3, délivrent une qualité de chant raffinée, dans un style adéquat et éloquent ; les deux ténors, entre autres, font merveille. Par ses improvisations d'un langage très actuel, l'organiste Maurice Clément nous transporte dans un monde surnaturel, comme une ouverture sidérale. L'effet de contraste voulu est saisissant." - Le Disquaire
"Oratorio per la Settimana Santa - Luigi Rossi - CD Et'Cetera "Das Ensemble, eine Initiative des ‘Institut Européen de Chant Choral’, die seit langem auf eigenen Füssen steht, ist solistisch perfekt besetzt, die Klangkultur ist brillant. Frank Agsteribbe leitet seine Sänger und das ‘Ensemble de la Chapelle Saint-Marc’ mit wenigen suggestiven Gesten. Das kann man nicht sehen, aber man spürt es. Keine Phrase ist überpointiert, die Erzählung wird nicht überdramatisiert. Die Interpretation ist rhetorisch klug ausbalanciert, passt sich sich der Transparenz und Klarheit des Klanges an, ohne einen Mangel an Ausdruck. Hervorzuheben sei allerdings die Sopranistin Véronique Nosbaum in der Rolle der Maria. Sie singt schlichtweg schön." - Guy Engels - Pizzicato
"The ensemble cantoLX follow up the success of their recording of the complete volume I of Girolamo Frescobaldi’s Arie Musicali (1630) with this recording of volume II. The group’s six singers, who appear as soloists and equally effectively as an ensemble, are supported by a reduced continuo team of theorbo and harpsichord. It has to be said that this very much throws the spotlight on to the singers, who however exploit this added exposure with some highly dramatic evocations of their texts, employing beautifully expressive singing and neatly applied ornaments."- Early Music Review
: BIOGRAPHY
cantoLX is a young professional vocal ensemble, based in Luxembourg. The main repertoire consists of 17th century baroque music, but also includes renaissance, contemporary and 19th century music.
cantoLX believes in a flexible geometry, going along with the increased historical knowledge and discussion on single or multiple singers per part. It is a basic statement of cantoLX to work from a kernel of 5 or 6 soloists, extending to 12 or 16 to form a chamber choir under the cantoLX Academy label.
Through this flexibility, cantoLX can react and proactively participate in the musicological issue of ensemble singing: the ongoing debate in the performance practise of baroque music, whether or not it should be performed by soloists or by choir, can dealt with easily in cantoLX’s versatile set-up. As often in history, performance depended on the occasion, the availability of singers and musicians.
It is the belief of Frank Agsteribbe, conductor, harpsichordist and composer, and musical director of cantoLX that THE ultimate version of a performance didn’t and doesn’t exist – in stead a musical work flourishes through many different approaches.
cantoLX, formed in 2010, actually concentrates on the ensemble of soloists, in establishing a group of individually strong musical personalities and voices, who are also able to create a homogeneous group sound. As in baroque painting, cantoLX believes that music of that era needs the same multitude of colours, of contrasts and expressions, of light and shade. Therefore we maximize the individual expression of every singer, next to working on the ensemble identity.
Another focus point of Frank Agsteribbe and cantoLX is looking for links beyond the limits of historical periods: it is an interesting artistic concept to combine music that departs from the same idea. An example of this are the “Arie Musicali, libro primo” by Girolamo Frescobaldi, which were combined with Aria’s by John Cage on their first CD production, or the new CD “Meta(M)Orpheus”, with Frescobaldi’s “Arie Musicali, libro secondo” in combination with improvisations on organ by Maurice Clement.
cantoLX has performed madrigals by Luca Marenzio, Leçons de Ténèbres by François Couperin and Joseph Hector Fiocco, Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri and Eastern European baroque composers Frantisek Tuma (Stabat Mater) and Jan Dismas Zelenka (Responsoria), at prestigious venues like the Luxembourg Philharmonie or the Neumünster Abbey.
cantoLX has been invited two times to perform at the MAfestival Bruges (Purcell in 2011 and Frescobaldi in 2014), and also appeared at the Flanders Festival Mechelen and the Festival Oude Muziek in Utrecht. A first collaboration with OPL (Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra) under Emmanuel Krivine was realized with Fauré’s Requiem, which was followed by the OPL’s Christmas Concert in December 2013, under the baton of Frank Agsteribbe. Frank also conducted the Vivaldi production with the Flemish baroque orchestra B’Rock.
cantoLX has its own festival “Passions et Lamentations” during the week before Eastern at the Neumünster Abbey in Luxembourg (CCRN), and participates in the new festival “Stille Kunst”, organized by cantoLX, Lucilin and the CCRN. cantoLX performed at the Early Music Festivals of Belgrade (2016) and Takamatsu, Japan (2017) with support from FoCuNa.
