Wieland Kuijken
Encyclopedia
Wieland Kuijken is a Belgian
musician and player of the viola da gamba and baroque cello.
Kuijken started his career in music in 1952 with the Brussels
Alariusensemble of which he formed part until 1972. In addition, he played with the Ensemble Musique Nouvelle which propagated avant-garde music throughout Europe.
In 1972 the ensemble La Petite Bande
was established and later the Kuijken Strijkkwartet (Kuijken String Quartet). Kuijken has recorded numerous works of chamber music with Gustav Leonhardt
, Frans Brüggen
and Alfred Deller
. Today he is one of the most sought after Early Music
performers of his generation on the baroque cello and viola da gamba.
Wieland Kuijken is gamba teacher at the conservatories of Brussels and The Hague
and regular jury member of international competitions. In the seasons 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 he performed with musicians Paul Dombrecht
and Robert Kohnen a programme of works of Georg Philipp Telemann
at a number of Flemish
theaters.
Kuijken has two brothers, Sigiswald
and Barthold
, who are also eminent musicians and are known for playing baroque music
on authentic instruments. Sigiswald is a violinist and Barthold a flautist
and recorder player. His third brother is Professor Eckhart Kuijken, former director of the Flemish Institute for Nature Conservation and a professor at Groningen University.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
musician and player of the viola da gamba and baroque cello.
Kuijken started his career in music in 1952 with the Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
Alariusensemble of which he formed part until 1972. In addition, he played with the Ensemble Musique Nouvelle which propagated avant-garde music throughout Europe.
In 1972 the ensemble La Petite Bande
La Petite Bande
La Petite Bande is a Belgium-based ensemble specialising in Baroque music played on period instruments. They are particularly known for their recordings of works by Corelli, Rameau, Handel, and Bach.-History:...
was established and later the Kuijken Strijkkwartet (Kuijken String Quartet). Kuijken has recorded numerous works of chamber music with Gustav Leonhardt
Gustav Leonhardt
Gustav Leonhardt is a highly renowned Dutch keyboard player, conductor, musicologist, teacher and editor. Leonhardt has been a leading figure in the movement to perform music on period instruments...
, Frans Brüggen
Frans Brüggen
Frans Brüggen is a well-known Dutch conductor, recorder player and baroque flautist.-Biography:Brüggen studied recorder and flute at the Amsterdam Muzieklyceum. He also studied musicology at the University of Amsterdam. In 1955, at the age of 21, he was appointed professor at the Royal...
and Alfred Deller
Alfred Deller
Alfred George Deller CBE , was an English singer and one of the main figures in popularizing the return of the countertenor voice in Renaissance and Baroque music during the 20th Century....
. Today he is one of the most sought after Early Music
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
performers of his generation on the baroque cello and viola da gamba.
Wieland Kuijken is gamba teacher at the conservatories of Brussels and The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
and regular jury member of international competitions. In the seasons 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 he performed with musicians Paul Dombrecht
Paul Dombrecht
Paul Dombrecht is a Belgian oboist performing on period instruments as well as the modern oboe. He appears frequently with other prominent musicians and baroque orchestras.He is the son of Stefaan Dombrecht, who was organist at Oostende...
and Robert Kohnen a programme of works of Georg Philipp Telemann
Georg Philipp Telemann
Georg Philipp Telemann was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually...
at a number of Flemish
Flemish
Flemish can refer to anything related to Flanders, and may refer directly to the following articles:*Flemish, an informal, though linguistically incorrect, name of any kind of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium....
theaters.
Kuijken has two brothers, Sigiswald
Sigiswald Kuijken
Sigiswald Kuijken is a Belgian violinist, violist, and conductor known for playing on authentic instruments.-Biography:Kuijken was born in Dilbeek, near Brussels. He was a member of the Alarius Ensemble of Brussels between 1964 and 1972 and formed La Petite Bande in 1972...
and Barthold
Barthold Kuijken
Barthold Kuijken is a Belgian flautist and recorder player, known for playing baroque music on authentic instruments and particularly known for pioneering this manner of performance with his brothers, cellist and viol player Wieland Kuijken and violinist Sigiswald Kuijken and the harpsichordist...
, who are also eminent musicians and are known for playing baroque music
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
on authentic instruments. Sigiswald is a violinist and Barthold a flautist
Flautist
A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...
and recorder player. His third brother is Professor Eckhart Kuijken, former director of the Flemish Institute for Nature Conservation and a professor at Groningen University.