Emma Kirkby/Jakob Lindberg
Duo
FORCES: Soprano/Lute
“Soprano Emma Kirkby and lutenist Jakob Lindberg make an absolutely perfect musical pair, performing in a seamless blend of style and expression…Kirkby and Lindberg, that exquisite voice and fabulous lute sound, perform as two halves of a whole. They are simply meant to perform together.”
“A Musical Banquet” – gems of eloquence from 17th century Europe Emma Kirkby and Jakob Lindberg in songs and lute solos by D’India, Kapsberger, Strozzi, Lambert, Lawes, Purcell and others.
Recent News
Biography
Emma Kirkby feels lucky in many ways: that she met renaissance vocal polyphony while still at school, that she studied Classics at Somerville College and sang with the Schola Cantorum of Oxford, and, best of all, that there she encountered “historical” instruments known to Renaissance and Baroque composers- the lute, harpsichord, and wind and string instruments whose sound and human scale drew from her an instinctive response. Within a few years she found herself invited to perform professionally with pioneer groups; and long partnerships followed with British and international ensembles, individual players, and record companies, so that now Emma’s voice and style are recognized worldwide.
Alongside the obvious repertoire, - Bach, Purcell, Handel, Vivaldi, Mozart, Haydn - two vital threads through her career have been lute songs and vocal consort music, both explored over decades with various colleagues; with Jakob Lindberg Emma has given recitals and classes worldwide over nearly two decades, and as a member of Anthony Rooley’s Consort of Musicke, she took part in performances, recordings and workshops in many countries. Most recently Emma has enjoyed exploring new areas within her fach, especially with colleagues in Graz. 2017 saw “Musica Fugit” at the Utrecht Festival, an extraordinary collaboration with “Kamchatka” actors from Barcelona, and in 2018 in Köln, the director of “Fugit”, Adriaan Schwarzstein, brought his particular genius to Locke and Gibbons’s “Cupid and Death”, for which Emma was delighted to reprise, after 30 years, the role of Mother Nature!
Over the years, she has taught at “historical” chamber music courses in many countries, where she values especially coaching young singers in ideal conditions, with the “right” instrumental forces and in glorious acoustics, all vital factors working their magic in those places, just as they did for her at the outset.
It is now a joy for her to see the enthusiasm, expertise and commitment of so many younger colleagues. Emma’s favourite periods and especially beloved composers, Dowland, Danyel, Lawes, Purcell, Marenzio, Monteverdi, Strozzi, and all the rest, are now being honoured with the knowledge and skill that they deserve, by versatile singers who at one moment can deliver characterful and virtuosic solos, and at others form part of equally impassioned duets, trios or vocal consorts. Above all Emma is delighted to hear the all-important lyrics ( which Thomas Campion described as “the lively soul of music”) increasingly cherished and clearly projected. Singing has always been a vital form of storytelling, and it is wonderful to see it still in such good shape.
Jakob Lindberg was born in Djursholm in Sweden and developed his first passionate interest in music through the Beatles. He started to play the guitar and soon became interested in the classical repertoire. From the age of fourteen he studied with Jörgen Rörby who also gave him his first tuition on the lute. After reading music at Stockholm University he went to London to study at the Royal College of Music, where he further developed his knowledge of the lute repertoire under the guidance of Diana Poulton. He decided towards the end of his studies to concentrate on renaissance and baroque music and is now one of the most prolific performers in this field.
Jakob has made numerous recordings for BIS, many of which are pioneering in that they present a wide range of music on CD for the first time. He has brought Scottish lute music to public attention, demonstrated the beauty of the Italian repertoire for chitarrone and recorded chamber music by Vivaldi, Haydn and Boccherini on period instruments. He is the first lutenist to have recorded the complete solo lute music by John Dowland and his recording of Bach's music for solo lute is considered to be one of the most important readings of these works. Most recently released are:
Italian Virtuosi of the Chitarrone
Jacobean Lute Music
Nocturnal (including Benjamin Britten’s Nocturnal Op. 70)
Jan Antonin Losy - note d’oro
Bach on the Rauwolf Lute
An active continuo player on the theorbo and arch lute, Jakob has worked with many well known English ensembles including The English Concert, Taverner Choir, The Purcell Quartet, Monteverdi Choir, Chiaroscuro, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and The Academy of Ancient Music. He is also in demand as an accompanist and has given recitals with Emma Kirkby, Ann Sofie von Otter, Nigel Rogers and Ian Partridge. He assisted Andrew Parrott in the musical direction of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas given by The Royal Swedish Opera at Drottningholm Court Theatre in 1995, and also directed from the chitarrone the much acclaimed performances of Jacopo Peri’s Euridice given there in 1997.
It is particularly through his live solo performances that he has become known as one of the finest lutenists in the world today, with concerts all over the globe from Tokyo and Beijing in the East to San Francisco and Mexico City in the West.
In addition to his busy life as a performer, Jakob Lindberg teaches at the Royal College of Music in London where he succeeded Diana Poulton as professor of lute in 1979.