Castello Consort

The ensemble

"They surprise with a kind of baroque rubato, combined with freedom of tempi [...]. Thus, the music breathes, as a living organism, that passionately -but peacefully- prevails.”

Praised for their lilting, expressive sound and harmonious interplay, the Dutch ensemble Castello Consort explores music from the renaissance and early baroque periods. The core of the ensemble is formed by Matthijs van der Moolen (sackbut), Anne-Linde Visser (bass violin, cello and viola da gamba), and Elise Dupont (violin). They are joined by guest musicians for each programme.

In their search for new timbres the Castello Consort initiated the building of a unique pipe organ, combining a historically accurate reproduction of a 1600’s Italian church organ with the transportability that is necessary for today’s performance practice. The many registers and extended mean tone tuning offer a whole new range of expressions. In July 2020 the Reil organ was premiered during a live radio broadcast on Dutch Radio 4.

For their debut-CD ‘Fantastissimus’, the ensemble collaborated with contemporary composer Martijn Padding. He composed a collection of pieces inspired by his seventeenth century colleagues: sometimes conceptual, sometimes theatrical, sometimes very close to improvisation, but always bold and unconventional. Interspersed with baroque works, Padding’s “Stylus Phantasticus” connects old with new music.

The ensemble has performed at the foremost international festivals, including the Utrecht Early Music Festival (NL), the Internationale Händel-Festspiele in Göttingen (DE), the Beverley Early Music Festival (UK), the Festival d'Ambronay (FR), the Festival Barocco è il Mondo (IT), the BRQ Festival (fringe) in Vantaa (FI) and the Kongsberg International Organ Summer (NO). Furthermore, the Castello Consort featured in prominent concert series in the Netherlands.  In 2017 the ensemble was selected for the prestigious Eeemerging scheme, a programme supporting a small selection of the most promising young, European Early Music ensembles within the framework of Creative Europe. As part of this scheme, the ensemble was invited for residencies at the NCEM in York (UK) and Ghislieri Musica in Pavia (IT).

Core musicians

Matthijs van der Moolen

Matthijs loves playing chamber music, both early and contemporary. He finished his studies of baroque trombone with Charles Toet at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague (cum laude), and specialised into renaissance music on trombone and slide trumpet even further with Catherine Motuz at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. Matthijs played with the ensembles Música Temprana, Holland Baroque, La Fonte Musica, Ghislieri Consort, Capriccio Stravagante, and many others.

In the ensemble, Matthijs usually plays his favourite instrument: an exact copy of the only surviving Italian trombone from the renaissance (anonymous, ca. 1560), currently in the Accademia Filarmonica di Verona (made possible with the help of Stichting Eigen Muziekinstrument). This instrument was built for him in 2020 by Aron Vajna in Basel.

Anne-Linde Visser

Anne-Linde is an active performer on the bass violin, baroque cello, piccolo cello and the viola da gamba. She earned her masterdiploma (cum laude) in baroque cello from the Royal Conservatory The Hague, studying with Lucia Swarts. Because of her passion for the viola da gamba and its rich repertoire, she continued her studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Jonathan Manson, where she completed the Professional Diploma course with distinction.

A dedicated chamber musician and basso continuo player, Anne-Linde’s continuo has been praised as ‘excellent’ (Early Music Reviews) and ‘impressive: unobtrusive yet decisive’ (Opera Today). She has performed with ensembles such as the Nederlandse Bachvereniging, Theresia Youth Baroque Orchestra (IT), Musica Amphion, ensemble Cordevento and Musica Gloria (BE).

Anne-Linde plays on two eighteenth-century instruments: an English baroque cello (made possible with the help of Stichting Eigen Muziekinstrument) and a Saxon piccolo-cello.

Elise Dupont

Elise's first encounter with Historical Informed Performance practice was an ear-opening experience for her and from that moment she was sure about pursuing a career as a baroque violinist. Elise performed with internationally renowned early music ensembles such as the Nederlandse Bachvereniging, a nocte temporis, il Gardellino, BachPlus (BE), Collegium Marianum (CZ) and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century.

Recent highlights have been leading her ensemble Le Concert d’Apollon in the 2021 online edition of the Early Music Festival in Utrecht and her solo performance in Wigmore Hall during the Royal Academy of Music’s Bicentenary Prize.

Since 2017, Elise plays on a violin on loan from the Dutch Nationaal Muziekinstrumenten Fonds. The instrument was built in 1691 in Amsterdam by Willem van der Sijde, and once belonged to the Dutch princess Juliana.

Guest musicians 2023