CAFÉ ZIMMERMANN

Located in Saint-Catherine street in Leipzig, Gottfried Zimmermann’s coffee house would host weekly concerts by the Collegium Musicum back in the XVIIIth century. The ensemble, founded by Georg Philipp Teleman and conducted by Johann Sebastian Bach between 1729 and 1739, performed secular cantatas and instrumental music for an audience of experienced music-lovers: duet or trio sonatas, pieces for solo instruments, concertos for violin, harpsichord, oboe, etc.

At the time, Leipzig and the neighbouring town of Dresden drew numerous musicians eager to meet the famous Cantor or participate in the rich musical life of the Saxon capital. Hence, Zimmermann’s coffee house offered a broad spectrum from the repertory: music written by Bach and his sons, by Teleman and the virtuosos and composers of the Dresden Chapel orchestra, as well as works by the major European composers – whose music mainly circulated in the form of copied or transcribed scores, or else was simply performed by itinerant singers and musicians that passed through Leipzig.

It was this spirit of open-mindedness and conviviality uniting the audience, repertory and musicians which drove Pablo Valetti and Céline Frisch to found the Café Zimmermann Ensemble in 1998 to explore the orchestral music of that era. They assembled six musicians – five bow instruments and a harpsichord (Pablo Valetti, Nicholas Robinson/David Plantier/Mauro Lopes-Ferreira violin; Patricia Gagnon, alto; Petr Skalka, cello; Ludek Brany, double bass and Céline Frisch, harpsichord). Other strings or wind instruments would be added depending on the programme : Diana Baroni, traverso; Patrick Beaugiraud, oboe…

Café Zimmermann has been invited to play for numerous seasonal programmes and specialised festivals: the Théâtre de la Ville and the Cité de la Musique in Paris, the “Automne Musical” at the Château de Versailles, Baroque music festivals in Pontoise, Sablé sur Sarthe, Lanvellec, the Printemps des Arts in Nantes, The Grand Théâtre of Bordeaux etc. The ensemble has also gone on tour abroad all around Europe, in Turkey for specialised Bach festivals, in the United States and South America

In residence in Upper-Normandy, the Café Zimmermann Ensemble receives financial support from the Ministry of Culture (Regional Department of Cultural Affairs) and the County Commission of Upper Normandy. Café Zimmermann is a member of the FEVIS (Federation of Specialized Vocal and Instrumental Ensembles).

Artistic directors

Pablo Valetti, violin and Konzertmeister

Pablo Valetti was born in Buenos Aires and studied violin there. In 1991, he entered the Schola Cantorum of Basel to study with Chiara Banchini, John Holloway and Jesper Christensen.

He performs regularly as soloist or first violin with major Baroque ensembles and orchestras (Le Concert des Nations, Les Arts Florissants, Concerto Köln, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Hesperion XXI, Concerto Vocale, Les Talens Lyriques, etc.) on the most prestigious stages of Europe, Asia, South and North America : Konzerthaus and Musikverein (Wien), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Théâtre de la Ville (Paris)…

Pablo Valetti has participated in several recordings for various music labels and radios such as Astrée, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, WDR, Harmonia Mundi France and Archiv Produktion. In a violin duet with Manfred Kraemer in the The Rare Fruits Council ensemble, he received the international critics’ main prize for their recording of Biber (Diapason d’or in 1998, Répertoire, Grammophon, Grand Prix de l’Académie du Disque...).

He’s regularly invited as director in the Orquesta Barroca in Sevilla.

With the harpsichordist Céline Frisch, Pablo Valetti founds in 1998 the ensemble Café Zimmermann, recording for the recording label Alpha-productions.  In 2003, Pablo Valetti founds the quattuor Rincontro which collects David Plantier, violin, Patricia Gagnon, viola and Petr Skalka, cello : their first recording of F.X Richter receives a Diapason d’Or.

He teaches to the l’Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya of Barcelona.

Céline Frisch , harpsichord

Born in 1974 in Marseilles, Céline Frisch discovered the harpsichord at the age of six. In 1992, she garnered her first prizes for harpsichord and chamber music at the Conservatoire of Aix-en-Provence. She continued her training at the Schola Cantorum in Basel under Andreas Staier and Jesper Christensen where she earned her soloist degree.

She won the Juventus prize in 1996, and in 2002 became the first harpsichordist to be selected for the Victoires de la Musique Classique.

In 1993, she began performing in recitals and chamber groups in the top concert halls in France – Radio France, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, the Auditorium du Louvre, and festivals such as Ile de France, la Roque d’Anthéron, Octobre en Normandie, Folle Journée de Nantes, Été musical de Dijon – and abroad – Washington, Toronto, Buenos Aires, Sydney, Seoul, Brussels, Amsterdam, Lisbon, etc.

Her interpretations of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach earned her the highest acclaims from the international music press. Besides Bach, her affinities have drawn her to play French music of the Louis XIV era, the works of the English Virginalists and German music of the XVIIth century. She also delights in exploring XXth-century and contemporary music (Manuel de Falla, Henri Dutilleux, François Sarhan, Brice Pauset, etc.).

Her recordings, for the most part dedicated to Bach, have all been lauded by the major critics and have received top distinction from the specialised press. Her recording of The Goldberg Variations earned the Diapason d’or and the Choc de l’année awarded by the Monde de la Musique.

January 2011