Nicolas Achten
baritone
lute | harp | harpsichord
lute | harp | harpsichord
Nicolas Achten
baritone
lute, harpsichord, historical harp
lute, harpsichord, historical harp
Baritone, harpsichordist, lute player, harpist and conductor, Nicolas Achten (Brussels, 1985) made a very young place for himself in the world of early music: winner of the VIIth International Chimay Baroque Song Competition in 2006, he was elected Classical Artist of the Year 2009 at the Octaves de la Musique and "Young Musician of the Year Prize 2009" awarded by the Belgian Music Press Union.
Nicolas Achten studied singing, lute, harpsichord and ancient harp at the Royal Conservatories of Brussels and The Hague; he completed his training in various masterclasses, notably at the Baroque Academy of Ambronay and at the Centre de la Voix de Royaumont.
Since 2004 he has been invited by prestigious early music ensembles, including Arpeggiata, Fenice, La Petite Bande, Ausonia, Les Agrémens, Akadêmia, Les Talens Lyriques, Il Fondamento, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Il Seminario Musicale, le Poème Harmonique, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and under the direction of conductors such as Jean Tubéry, Sigiswald Kuijken, Marc Minkowski, Christophe Rousset and René Jacobs.
Today he is one of the few classical singers to accompany himself, returning to historical practice. Eager to deepen this approach and to put his research into practice, he founded the ensemble Scherzi Musicali, whose concerts throughout Europe and 10 recordings aroused the unanimous enthusiasm of the public and the international press (Diapason d'or découverte, Choc (Classica), Crescendo Joker, La Clé (ResMusica), Prelude Classics Award 2009, Golden Muse, Classic Ring Info, "Outstanding" in the International Record Review, Pix Cæcilia...).
In the margins, Nicolas also explores atypical encounters, in duet with folk accordionist Dider Laloy, or in trio with jazz saxophonist Manu Hermia or pop/rock singer Kris Dane.
Nicolas Achten teaches singing, lute and applied early music theory at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. He was musical director of the summer courses of Muziektheater Transparant from 2007 to 2015, and is regularly invited for masterclasses throughout Europe (Operastudio Vlaanderen, SIMAW in Namur, University of East Anglia, the Yorke Trust in Norfolk, Conservatorio Milano, ...).
Nicolas Achten studied singing, lute, harpsichord and ancient harp at the Royal Conservatories of Brussels and The Hague; he completed his training in various masterclasses, notably at the Baroque Academy of Ambronay and at the Centre de la Voix de Royaumont.
Since 2004 he has been invited by prestigious early music ensembles, including Arpeggiata, Fenice, La Petite Bande, Ausonia, Les Agrémens, Akadêmia, Les Talens Lyriques, Il Fondamento, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Il Seminario Musicale, le Poème Harmonique, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and under the direction of conductors such as Jean Tubéry, Sigiswald Kuijken, Marc Minkowski, Christophe Rousset and René Jacobs.
Today he is one of the few classical singers to accompany himself, returning to historical practice. Eager to deepen this approach and to put his research into practice, he founded the ensemble Scherzi Musicali, whose concerts throughout Europe and 10 recordings aroused the unanimous enthusiasm of the public and the international press (Diapason d'or découverte, Choc (Classica), Crescendo Joker, La Clé (ResMusica), Prelude Classics Award 2009, Golden Muse, Classic Ring Info, "Outstanding" in the International Record Review, Pix Cæcilia...).
In the margins, Nicolas also explores atypical encounters, in duet with folk accordionist Dider Laloy, or in trio with jazz saxophonist Manu Hermia or pop/rock singer Kris Dane.
Nicolas Achten teaches singing, lute and applied early music theory at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. He was musical director of the summer courses of Muziektheater Transparant from 2007 to 2015, and is regularly invited for masterclasses throughout Europe (Operastudio Vlaanderen, SIMAW in Namur, University of East Anglia, the Yorke Trust in Norfolk, Conservatorio Milano, ...).
Video playlist
Discography
|
Cavalieri : La Rappresentatione di Anima e di Corpo
L’Arpeggiata, dir. Christina Pluhar Alpha, 2003 baritone (Piacere) Monteverdi : Teatro d’Amore l’Arpeggiata, dir. Christina Pluhar Virgin, 2005 baritone Torri : Le Martyre des Macchabées Les Agrémens, dir. Jean Tubéry Musique en Wallonie, 2008 theorbo, guitar Caccini : L’Euridice Scherzi Musicali, dir. N. Achten Ricercar, 2008 baritone (Orfeo), theorbo Bach : Matthaüs Passion La Petite Bande, dir. S. Kuijken Challenge, 2010 baritone (Judas, Pontifex) Sances : Dulcis Amor Iesu Scherzi Musicali, dir. N. Achten Ricercar, 2010 baritone, theorbo, harp, harpsichord Fiocco : Motets Scherzi Musicali, dir. N. Achten Musique en Wallonie, 2011 baritone, archlute, harpsichord Mazzocchi : La Catena d’Adone Scherzi Musicali, dir. N. Achten Alpha, 2012 baritone, archlute, harp, harpsichord Bach : Johannes Passion La Petite Bande, dir. S. Kuijken Challenge, 2012 baroque lute Purcell : How pleasant ’tis to Love! Scherzi Musicali, dir. N. Achten Alpha, 2013 baritone, harpe, gut-strung virginals Il pianto d’Orfeo — Monteverdi, Caccini, Peri, Rossi, Sartorio… Scherzi Musicali, dir. N. Achten DHM, 2014 baritone, theorbo, harp, harpsichord Cavalieri : La Rappresentatione di Anima e di Corpo AKAMUS, dir. René Jacobs Harmonia Mundi, 2015 chitarrone, ceterone Natale in Italia La Fenice, dir Jean Tubéry Ars Produktion, 2015 harp, archlute, baritone Les musiciens au temps de Rubens La Fenice , dir Jean Tubéry Ars Produktion, 2015 guitar, theorbo, harp La Maddalena — Bertali, Mazzocchi, Monteverdi... Scherzi Musicali, dir. N. Achten Ricercar, 2016 baritone, harp, theorbo Petits Motets, vol II, Joseph-Hector Fiocco Scherzi Musicali, dir. N. Achten Musique en Wallonie, 2016 baritone, harp, theorbo Natura Amorosa La Fenice, dir Jean Tubéry 2016 baritone, tiorbino, guitar, harp, chitarrone Sances : Dialoghi Amorosi Scherzi Musicali, dir. N. Achten Ricercar, 2017 baritone, harp, chitarrone, harpsichord |
Instruments
HARP
Triple harp (Arpa Barberini, Roma, ca. 1605-1620) Dario Pontiggia, Milano, 2016
Double harp (Arpa Estense, Modena 1584) Dario Pontiggia, Milano, 2019
LUTES
Chitarrone (Mattheus Buechenberg, Roma, 1610) Hendrick Hasenfuss, Köln, 1988
Chitarrone (Mattheus Buechenberg, Roma, 1608) Klaus T. Jacobsen, London, 2015
Theorbo (Matteo Sellas, Venezia, ca. 1630) Klaus T. Jacobsen, London, 2002
Tiorbino (Italian model) Didier Jarny, Tours, 2012
Archlute (Magno Tieffenbrucker, Roma, ca. 1600) Hendrick Hasenfuss, Eitorf, 2008
7ch discant lute (d') ( Anonymous
6ch lute (a) Anna Radice
7ch lute (g) Guiseppe Tumiati, Cremona
10ch tenor Lute (f) Hendrick Hasenfuss
9ch Bass lute (d) Pascal Desjardins
10ch Contrabass-lute (G/chitarrone) Dirk De Hertog, Westrode-Wolvertem, 2018
11ch baroque lute Stephen Murphy
13ch baroque lute (Wieger) Hendrick Hasenfuss, Eitorf
Baroque guitar (Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, ca. 1639) Dirk De Hertog, Westrode-Wolvertem, 2012
KEYBOARDS
Harpsichord (Anonymous maker, Paris, 1667) Alan Gotto, Norwich, 2006
Harpsichord (Giambattista Boni, Cortona, 1619) Alan Gotto, Norwich, 2008
Spinet virginals (Giovanni Baffo, Venezia, 1594) Alan Gotto, Norwich, 2012
Harpsichord (Mattia de Gan, Roma, ca. 1700) Alan Gotto, Norwich, 2018
Organo di legno, Etienne Fouss, Périgeux, 2015-2017 (Principale 8', Gedackt 8', Open flute 4').
Triple harp (Arpa Barberini, Roma, ca. 1605-1620) Dario Pontiggia, Milano, 2016
Double harp (Arpa Estense, Modena 1584) Dario Pontiggia, Milano, 2019
LUTES
Chitarrone (Mattheus Buechenberg, Roma, 1610) Hendrick Hasenfuss, Köln, 1988
Chitarrone (Mattheus Buechenberg, Roma, 1608) Klaus T. Jacobsen, London, 2015
Theorbo (Matteo Sellas, Venezia, ca. 1630) Klaus T. Jacobsen, London, 2002
Tiorbino (Italian model) Didier Jarny, Tours, 2012
Archlute (Magno Tieffenbrucker, Roma, ca. 1600) Hendrick Hasenfuss, Eitorf, 2008
7ch discant lute (d') ( Anonymous
6ch lute (a) Anna Radice
7ch lute (g) Guiseppe Tumiati, Cremona
10ch tenor Lute (f) Hendrick Hasenfuss
9ch Bass lute (d) Pascal Desjardins
10ch Contrabass-lute (G/chitarrone) Dirk De Hertog, Westrode-Wolvertem, 2018
11ch baroque lute Stephen Murphy
13ch baroque lute (Wieger) Hendrick Hasenfuss, Eitorf
Baroque guitar (Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, ca. 1639) Dirk De Hertog, Westrode-Wolvertem, 2012
KEYBOARDS
Harpsichord (Anonymous maker, Paris, 1667) Alan Gotto, Norwich, 2006
Harpsichord (Giambattista Boni, Cortona, 1619) Alan Gotto, Norwich, 2008
Spinet virginals (Giovanni Baffo, Venezia, 1594) Alan Gotto, Norwich, 2012
Harpsichord (Mattia de Gan, Roma, ca. 1700) Alan Gotto, Norwich, 2018
Organo di legno, Etienne Fouss, Périgeux, 2015-2017 (Principale 8', Gedackt 8', Open flute 4').
Teaching
Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles :
Singing Departement
Early Music Department
More info?
Singing Departement
- Singing (professor) - speciality early music
Early Music Department
- Lute & plucked instruments: all lute-type instruments - early harp
- Tuning & temperaments
- Music theory - solfège (Early Musique)
More info?