Diez Eichler

“We really have no idea how it actually sounded!” – This superficial and false dictum is often used to discredit "historical performance practice". However, the opposite is true: if we really applied everything we know about it, we would probably see a high degree of refinement and intensification of expression.

Thus, dealing with historical sources is a vital source of artistic inspiration in all areas of work with early music: style, ornamentation, tempo, basso continuo, instrument selection etc.

However, there is a lot of thought involved in this process, so dealing with these matters also enriches and expands the range of expression not just for specialists in historic instruments, but also for those who play "modern" instruments.

Education and Career

Born in 1965 in Bonn, he studied the main subject of cembalo with Harald Hoeren and the subsidiary subject of viola da gamba with Rainer Noack and Rainer Zipperling at Frankfurt School of Music. He took courses with Gustav Leonhardt, Bob van Asperen, Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Jesper Christensen among others and internships with John Holloway, Walther van Hauwe and Sergiu Celibidache.

Diez Eichler also received training in classical North Indian music and sitar with Partha Chatterjee, Calcutta, and also plays the Baroque hurdy-gurdy and musette, the court variant of the bagpipes during the Baroque.

Other activities and ambitions

Diez Eichler plays cembalo in his ensemble, Le Goût Étranger (www.le-gout-etranger.com) and the Cologne ensemble, "ornamente 99" with Karsten Erik Ose (www.ornamente99.com).

He is a member of the German Clavichord Society (www.clavichord.info).

He has a particular musical interest in Johann Jacob Froberger (working with Bob van Asperen) and Johann Mattheson.

Teaching focus

• As the basis of all Baroque music, thorough bass playing is one of the most important subjects; he uses his own teaching material on thorough bass, making use of exclusively historical material (Heinichen, Mattheson, Niedt, Telemann and others).
• Style-oriented playing on all historical keyboard instruments, cembalo, clavichord, fortepiano, chest organ.
• Baroque (and earlier) chamber music on all instruments (including modern instruments).
• Reading historical sources together for performance practice.
• Historical tuning systems and ensemble intonation.

Discography

Musique pour la Chambre du Roi
Suites by Robert de Visée with the ensemble, "Ornamente 99"
with Karsten Erik Ose, recorder
Coproduction with SWR Baden-Baden
(released 2009, Christophorus CHR77306)

Veracini sonatas with the ensemble, "Ornamente 99"
with Karsten Erik Ose, recorder; on historical original instruments
Coproduction with Deutschlandfunk Cologne
(released 2006, "aeolus" AE 10126)

Caldara cantatas with the ensemble, "Ornamente 99"
Alto: Max Emanuel Cencic, dir. Karsten Erik Ose
Coproduction with Deutschlandfunk Cologne
(released 2005: Capriccio 67 124)

Vivaldi cantatas with the ensemble, "Ornamente 99"
Alto: Max Emanuel Cencic, dir. Karsten Erik Ose
Coproduction with Deutschlandfunk Cologne
(released 2004: Capriccio 67,072)

Demo CD with the ensemble, "Le Goût Étranger" with works from Telemann, Fischer, Marais
Recordings of partially unpublished works by L.G. Guillemain
with the ensemble, "Le Goût Étranger" (CD release planned)