10. November 2025
Works by Jean-Marie Leclair, Georg-Friedrich Händel, Henry Purcell, Alessandro Stradella, Antonio Caldara, and others.
Click here for the concert programme.
The French harpsichordist and conductor Emmanuelle Haïm is a specialist in Baroque repertoire. For 25 years, she has led her own Baroque ensemble, Le Concert d’Astrée. She is currently also engaged in an artistic collaboration with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Recently, Emmanuelle Haïm made her debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra and returned to the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Zurich Opera House for a new production of Rameau’s "Platée." She regularly conducts the Berlin Philharmonic. She has made her debut with the New York Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and the Vienna Philharmonic, performing in Vienna and at the Lucerne Festival. In 2000, she founded Le Concert d’Astrée, which quickly gained an international reputation. In the 2024/25 season, she led a new production of Handel’s "Semele" at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, a revival of Purcell’s "Dido and Aeneas" at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, and a concert tour in Spain. In the summer of 2025, she conducted a new production of Handel’s "Giulio Cesare in Egitto" at the Salzburg Festival. This season includes, among others, Handel’s "Semele" in Amsterdam and Leclair’s "Scylla et Glaucus" at the Zurich Opera House, alongside performances of Pergolesi’s "Stabat Mater" in France and Spain. Her extensive discography has been honored with numerous awards, including the Victoires de la Musique Classique and the Echo Deutscher Musikpreis. Her most recent releases include a CD of Handel’s Italian cantatas and a DVD recording of Rameau’s "Les Boréades." Emmanuelle Haïm is a Chevalier of the Ordre national de la Légion d’Honneur, an Officier des Arts et des Lettres, and an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music.
In Cleveland (USA) geboren, begann Ada Pesch im Alter von sechs Jahren mit dem Violinunterricht. Sie studierte u.a. bei Josef Gingold, Arthur Grumiaux und György Sebök. Seit 1990 ist sie Erste Konzertmeisterin des Orchesters der Oper Zürich. Mit Mitgliedern des Orchesters der Oper Zürich hat sie 1996 das «Orchestra La Scintilla» gegründet, das sich ganz auf historische Instrumente spezialisiert hat und zusammen mit Pionieren wie Nikolaus Harnoncourt, William Christie und Marc Minkowski die historische Aufführungspraxis pflegt. Unter der Leitung von Ada Pesch begleitete das «Orchestra La Scintilla» viele Konzerte und Opernaufführungen mit Cecilia Bartoli. 2004 gründete die Geigerin im Schweizer Ferienort Ernen die «Barockmusikwoche Ernen» und ist seither deren künstlerische Leiterin.
Die armenische Geigerin Anahit Kurtikyan ist Stimmführerin der zweiten Violinen in der Philharmonia Zürich. Sie ist zudem Mitglied des Gringolts Quartett, das sie gemeinsam mit ihrem Ehemann Ilya Gringolts gründete, zuvor war sie Mitglied des Amati Quartetts. Anahit Kurtikyan arbeitete darüber hinaus mit Kammermusikpartnern wie Rudolph Buchbinder, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Jörg Widmann, Steven Isserlis, David Geringas, Malin Hartelius, Christian Poltéra und Eduard Brunner zusammen. Mit dem Gringolts Quartett, das für seine CD-Aufnahmen u.a. mit einem ECHO Klassik ausgezeichnet wurde, trat sie u.a. bei den Salzburger Festspielen, dem Lucerne Festival, Edinburgh Festival, Verbier Festival oder beim Gstaad Menuhin Festival auf und spielte in Konzertsälen wie dem Concertgebouw Amsterdam, der Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, der Philharmonie Luxembourg, im Festspielhaus Baden-Baden oder der St. Petersburger Philharmonie. Anahit Kurtikyan studierte in der Schweiz bei Tibor Varga sowie in Armenien bei Petros Haykazyan und ist Preisträgerin zahlreicher Wettbewerbe. Sie spielt eine Geige von Camillo Camilli, Mantua, aus dem Jahr 1733.
Claudius Herrmann received his musical training with Hans Adomeit in Mannheim and at the Lübeck Academy of Music under David Geringas. Since 1992, he has been principal cellist of the Zurich Opera Orchestra, where he has worked with conductors such as Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Georg Solti, Christoph von Dohnányi, Riccardo Chailly, Bernard Haitink, and Franz Welser-Möst. In 2013, he was invited to serve as principal cellist at the Bayreuth Festival. Before joining the Gringolts Quartet, Claudius Herrmann was a member of the Amati Quartet Zurich for 15 years, performing in major concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Vienna Musikverein, and the Berlin Philharmonie. As a soloist, he has appeared with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow, and the Zurich Opera Orchestra (in "Don Quixote"). In addition to more than 20 chamber music recordings, he has also released several CDs featuring cello sonatas by Brahms, Reinecke, and Herzogenberg.
The Polish double bassist Dariusz Mizera is principal double bassist of the Zurich Opera Orchestra. He received his musical education in Poland and participated in masterclasses with François Rabbath, Yevgeniy Kolossov, and Franco Petracchi. Early in his career, he was invited to perform with various European ensembles and appeared on international stages under the baton of renowned conductors. He is a two-time ECHO Klassik Award winner and has made numerous recordings for European broadcasting stations. His discography includes, among others, a solo CD featuring works by Giovanni Bottesini and a recording for Danish Radio of his own chamber orchestra arrangement of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” As a soloist, he has performed with various orchestras and is a regular faculty member at international masterclasses. His extensive orchestral experience includes positions as principal double bassist with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, the Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw, the Chamber Ensemble of the Warsaw Opera, and the Danish Radio Orchestra in Copenhagen — altogether representing more than 35 years of orchestral practice. In addition, he is deeply engaged in chamber music and has been a longtime member of La Scintilla. He also serves as a mentor and coach for young musicians. In 2025, he was awarded the Platinum Medal of the Académie des Arts, Sciences et Lettres in Paris.
Azul Lima, an Argentine theorbist, lives in Basel. He performs as a soloist, in chamber music ensembles, and in opera productions. Over the course of his career, he has made more than 70 recordings with various labels and ensembles. He began his studies at the Escuela de Música Juan Pedro Esnaola and the Conservatorio Nacional López Buchardo (Master’s degree in Classical Guitar), and continued his education at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Hopkinson Smith and at the Conservatoire de Genève (Virtuosité de Soliste d'Instruments Anciens à Cordes Pincées). He also won first prize at the 7th International Young Artist Competition in York. He has collaborated with many renowned musicians and conductors in the field of classical music, including Jordi Savall, Riccardo Minasi, Hervé Niquet, René Jacobs, Rudolf Lutz, Enrico Onofri, Ottavio Dantone, William Christie, Paul Van Nevel, and Harry Bicket. In addition to performing with La Scintilla, he currently works with the Basel Chamber Orchestra and is involved in various chamber music projects with Anastasia Kobekina and Maurice Steger.
A close artistic friendship has developed between Emmanuelle Haïm and La Scintilla since their joint Rameau productions at the Zurich Opera House. Now, as a harpsichordist, she performs together with soloists from La Scintilla. The program features Baroque works by, among others, Jean-Marie Leclair, George Frideric Handel, Henry Purcell, Alessandro Stradella, and Antonio Caldara.
