InAlto

In alto mare, in alta montagna (on the open sea, high in the mountains). This Italian expression uses the same adjective for sea and mountain. At the same time, it evokes their physical remoteness and the risks involved in exploring them.

The cornetto is without doubt one of the most important musical instruments of the 16th and 17th centuries. The instrument is made of wood and covered with leather or parchment. It was regarded as the instrument that could best imitate the human voice. And, just like the voice, it feels at home in the higher registers. In his encyclopedia, Mersenne describes the cornetto as a "ray of light breaking through the clouds".

InAlto seeks to explore both vocal and instrumental music and to bring the two into dialogue. Great Baroque composers from across Europe, such as Monteverdi, Schütz and Praetorius, have left us magnificent music in which that fondness for risk, daring and the exploration of the high register is central.

Today there is a real danger of no longer being able to convince with music that no longer seems self-evident or familiar to us. Through thorough study of the available sources, and by collaborating with the best possible partners and specialists in historically informed performance practice, InAlto strives to bring out the best in the repertoire it performs.

Historical musical instruments are, after all, still musical instruments. InAlto therefore regards them as contemporary means of expression.

InAlto's recordings have been honoured with numerous awards, including two Diapason d'Or, a Diapason d'Or de l'année 2017, a Choc de Classica, a Joker absolu de Crescendo, a Pizzicato Supersonic, a 5-star rating from Rondo Magazin and a place on the Bestenliste of the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik.

Since its debut in 2012, InAlto has performed at leading concert series and festivals across Europe, including De Bijloke Gent, the Venetian Centre for Baroque Music, Festival du Pays d'Auge, Museum Plantin-Moretus Antwerpen, AMUZ, Festival Musiq3, Festival de Wallonie, Bozar Brussel, Concertgebouw Brugge, Classique à Monty, Schloss Gottorf Schleswig, Festival de Regensburg, Festival de Saint-Michel en Thiérache, Juillet Musical de Saint-Hubert, Automne Musical de Spa, de Société Philharmonique de Namur, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, TivoliVredenburg Utrecht, Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, Académie Bach d'Arques-la-Bataille, Musikfest Bremen, Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, Passie van de Stemmen Leuven, Festival de l'Été Mosan, MA Festival Brugge, Beethovenfest Bonn, Musique et Nature en Bauges, Schütz Musikfest Dresden and the Thüringer Bachwochen.

The particularly rich year 2023 marked a new milestone for the ensemble with a production of Claudio Monteverdi's Mariavespers. Three performances, including the closing concert of the renowned MA Festival Brugge, were received with great enthusiasm by audiences and were a true triumph.