When,
side by side with the official institutions, a number of young musicians
from various orchestras in East Berlin founded an ensemble of historic
instruments in 1982, they gave a new and decisive impulse to the
hitherto timid efforts in the field of early music in the former East
German Republic.
From 1984 the AKADEMIE FÜR ALTE MUSIK BERLIN began giving an
independent series of concerts in the Berlin Schauspielhaus.
Besides its performances in the leading German
cultural centres, the orchestra soon asserted its presence on both the
national and the international musical scene. In 1987 its first
recording appeared simultaneously in the East (Eterna) and the West
(Capriccio).
Already in 1986 it was invited to play in the
"Tage der Alten Musik" in Herne under the patronage of
Westdeutscher Rundfunk.
Since the autumn of 1994 the AKADEMIE FÜR ALTE MUSIK
BERLIN has recorded exclusively for harmonia mundi france. Several of
its records have been awarded international prizes.
Plenty of significant international success accompany
the work and carreer of the ensemble. THE AKADEMIE FÜR ALTE MUSIK
BERLIN obtained different prizes in the last years, among them several
Diaposon d'Or and on the occasion of MIDEM 2002 they received the
"Cannes Classical Award" for the record "Symphonies &
Concertos" of C.P.E. Bach with cembalo and cello distinguished as
best record in instrumental baroquemusic.
Under the direction of René Jacobs the orchestra is
regularly invited to take part in productions at the Berlin Staatsoper,
and yet another regular collaboration was established with Marcus Creed
and the RIAS-Kammerchor.
Today the AKADEMIE FÜR ALTE MUSIK BERLIN is regarded
as one of the leading ensemble of its kind. The ensemble toured not only
in the most countries of Europe, but also in the Middle East and Japan.