Sara Deborah Struntz

Claire Bracher

Erik Dippenaar

Elektra Miliadou

One of the most exciting young groups to emerge in recent years has been Ensemble Amaranthos. They impressed me at last year’s York Early Music Network Young Artists Competition, and continue to do so. As with many groups who meet at various conservatories around the world, they are international, hailing from Portugal, Germany, England, South Africa and Greece. Of course, the tricky part is keeping international groups like this together alongside individual and international career demands. Their rather unusual combination of flute (Marta Gonçalves), violin (Sara Deborah Struntz), viola da gamba (Claire Bracher), harpsichord (Erik Dippenaar) and cello (Elektra Miliadou) makes for a colourful ensemble in addition to a wide range of smaller combinations, the latter being the distinctive feature of their concert for the Tilford Bach Society at Farnham Castle (25 Jan). With works by Telemann, Simpson, Geminiani, Handel, Loeillet, Pepusch, Blow and Purcell their programme represented the musical life of London and Paris in the 17th and 18th century – ‘The Spell of the Metropoles’. Ensemble Amaranthos combines an extraordinary musical and technical proficiency with an admirable professional presentation. They take a very evident delight in their music making, and the little smiles between them are a delight for the audience, drawing us into their own world. If there is a leader, it is not apparent. They all play as equals, with no one dominant instrument or personality. Individually they are all exceptional musicians but, together, they create a synergy that raises them to even more exalted heights. For my money, Ensemble Amaranthos are one of the finest young groups around.

Andrew Benson-Wilson, Early Music Review, April 2008

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The newly refurbished interior of St Martin-in-the-Fields was the setting for “Baroque Encounters”, a new Festival of Baroque music which was launched with this exceptionally well-played programme from the gifted members of the Amaranthos Ensemble. The Festival could hardly have got off to a better start than this, and one expects to hear a lot more from this group of well-matched musicians, clearly of the first rank.
Boismortier’s Concert I was an absolute joy to hear, especially in such a delightful performance – the opening Allegro at once captivating the ear, so musically and elegantly phrased. Pepusch’s D major Sonata, in some contrast, is perhaps a more probing work – at least in terms of depth of expression and rather longer-breathed lines.
Again, this received a compelling account, but it was Telemann’s E minor ‘Paris’ Quartet that, musically, stole the show: a set of free-flowing short movements ending with a long passacaglia-type ‘Modre’, as lengthy as all the preceding movements put together, which, in this absorbing and fully committed performance, raised the level of the work’s inspiration by several cubits.
If the remaining concerts in this “Baroque Encounters” festival match the standards set in the Amaranthos Ensemble’s opening event, then we are in for treats galore.

Robert Matthew-Walker, www.classicalsource.com, Monday, May 12, 2008