Ensemble La Favorita is an early music ensemble based in the The Hague, the Netherlands, specialized in the early 18th-century vocal repertoire composed around the court of Vienna. The Habsburg Court of Vienna was famous for having top players on many different instruments, with a special instrument being extremely en vogue: the Chalumeau. Unless playing a solo obbligato role in operas, the instrument was usually paired with other soft-voiced instruments such as traverse flute, recorder, viola da gamba, and viola d’amour. There is a large number of beautiful, not often performed repertoire featuring soprano, chalumeau and traverse flute. Ensemble La Favorita brings this music back to life and to capture the unique spirit of a small, Viennese court orchestra from the 18th century.
Our artistic project aims to enhance the refined and rich use and combination of obbligato instruments that define the unique style of the Viennese vocal music production. Thanks to its wide selection of woodwind and string instruments, La Favorita explores, in a reduced setting, the incredible range of colors and expressive potential of the Viennese court orchestra, which hit its maximum size during the reign of Charles VI with 81 musicians and invites the audience to discover rare and forgotten musical gems.
