About ARIOSO

                   ARIOSO has created a considerable reputation for exciting and accessible concerts with  
              diverse programmes ranging from the early baroque (ie from around 1600 with composers
              such as Monteverdi, Frescobaldi, Schutz), through the mid baroque (eg Purcell, Vivaldi,
              Buxtehude) to the high or late baroque (eg Handel, Bach, Rameau) and even covering
              early classical works (eg Stamitz, Hasse, Haydn).  This eclectic range of repertoire,
              musical styles and content enables us to offer authentic period programmes which appeal
              to a wide variety of tastes.

              The core instrumental make up of the group is based on the immensely popular 17th and
              18th century trio sonata format: primarily two melody instruments (violins/ violas), a
              bowed bass (viola da gamba/ baroque cello) and a harmonic continuo instrument (lute/
              theorbo/ baroque guitar/ harpsichord) to fill out ('realise') the bass line with extempore
              harmony.  This arrangement enables an enormous range of music to be explored.  To
              allow larger scale pieces or other forms of work to be performed, we also frequently
              augment the core line-up with other instruments and singers.

                   Historically informed performance practice is an important factor in ARIOSO's work and
              the ensemble's instrumentalists are also members of various established period instrument
              orchestras and other groups both nationally throughout the UK as well as across the North
              of England.  Martyn Hodgson has extensively researched the repertoire and as a result
              many exciting works of the baroque have been revived for modern performance, including
              brilliant Italian cantatas by Carissimi and Rossi and captivating 17th century English ayres
              and dramatic recitatives.

              However, we eschew dry 'academic' practice and seek to return to the true emotion filled
              world of the period where hearts were worn on the sleeve and music had the power to
              move the feelings as well as the soul.  Indeed, it is in the very nature of these early
              instruments to allow a more rhetorical and passionate interpretation than their more
              powerful modern counterparts and ARIOSO is acclaimed for this quality in performance.