Leon Berben

A propos de la personne

Whether as an organist or harpsichordist, Léon Berben can be considered a master in his field. His extensive knowledge of music history and historical performance practice make him one of the leading figures of his generation in the field of early music. His repertoire embraces keyboard music from 1550 to 1790. He is the co-author of various articles in Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart. His interpretations are given special weight by intensive study of the sources and constant research work, and his solo recordings on historic instruments have received great critical acclaim, winning several awards including the Diapason d’Or, the Choc du Monde de la Musique, as well as the Quarterly German Record Critics’ Award. Léon Berben was born in 1970 in Heerlen, The Netherlands, and lives in Cologne. He gained his solo diploma in organ and harpsichord in Amsterdam and at The Hague, studying with Gustav Leonhardt (whose last student he was), Rienk Jiskoot, Ton Koopman and Tini Mathot. He was the harpsichordist for Musica Antiqua Köln (Reinhard Goebel) from 2000, with whom he performed throughout Europe, Asia and North and South America, and recorded many CDs. Since the dissolution of the ensemble in 2006, he has pursued a solo career, appearing regularly at the most prestigious international festivals such as Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Internationaal Orgelfestival Haarlem, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Bodenseefestival, Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, Rheingau Musikfestival, Festival de Saintes, Lucerne Festival, and the Festival de Música Antiga de Barcelona. He performs regulary with Concerto Melante, a chamber music ensemble of the Berliner Philharmoniker.

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