What The Critics Are Saying…

“Sophisticated and Beguiling”
	-The New York Times
“[REBEL’s] distinctive, very active approach to this music was readily apparent...this flamboyant, interventionist style emboldened all the music on the program with accent and color. Add utterly fearless, risk-everything playing to the mix...and you get astonishingly vital music-making”
	-The Los Angeles Times
“vital....dashing...with performances that lacked nothing in inwardness, charm, or brilliance, as required”
	-The Boston Globe
“...a welcome sense of style and vibrant interpretations”
	-The Washington Post
“vitality and enthusiasm...virtuosity and joy”
	-Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“REBEL enchanted a rapt audience... with virtuoso elan on their instruments...[the concert] was an exciting departure from the normal string quartets and trios...[the performance] was an entirely pleasant, unfamiliar shock of music revivified and made fresh by the enlightened musicianship of these players...[who] offered ensemble playing to die for...Maute was phenomenal, playing the difficult passage work as though it were duck soup. But this was no mere virtuosic display, but convincing, enthralling music making”
	-The Times Union (Albany, NY)
“the players pounced on accents, ripped into notes and sawed away with demonic energy. Their performance...ignited the music with blazing vitality”
	-The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
“[REBEL] played with authority and creativity, evidencing rhythmic vitality and dynamic variety. ...there was none of the bloodless artificial elegance of many early-music performers. They played beautifully, with a force and intensity that was invigorating”
	-The St. Paul Pioneer Press
“.....[with REBEL] instrumental expertise and a spiritual understanding of music are happily bonded”
	-Rems Zeitung (Germany)
“INTOXICATING”
-Neuss-Grevenbroicher Zeitung (Germany)
“BREATHTAKINGLY EXPRESSIVE...a feast for the ear”
	-De Tubantia (Enschede, The Netherlands)
“REBEL belongs to the subgroup of historically informed early music bands that render music as if it were speech....these performers play musical sentences and paragraphs, punctuated by silences, adjustments in tempo and changes in dynamics...the logic of this sonic grammar... proves persuasive when musicians play with such resolution and compelling when they play with such spontaneity.”
	-Richmond Times Dispatch
“No one played this music with anything like REBEL’s imagination and intensity....REBEL’s remarkable players remind us that much baroque music is edgy, charged, sensuous, even bizarre. It explores the extremes of feeling and expression.”
	-Star Tribune (St. Paul / Minneapolis)
“REBEL’s trademark combination of brio, zest and nervy alertness [is evident] ... these are well-equipped, interventionist- style players almost to the point of excessive advocacy...that the Rebel sonata sounded fluffy besides the Couperin, which was both solid and fancy, and the Corelli sounded different from either of these, showed what lovely case-by-case interpretations they’re capable of”
	-The Boston Globe
“...REBEL’s modern, brilliant sound and baroque techniques...showed the path”
	-The Columbus Dispatch
“REBEL...performed with both precision and energy...[with playing that was] sharp, crisp and clear...a flawless performance...brilliant virtuosity...mesmerizing”
	-Schenectady Gazette
“REBEL....a state- of -the- art early music ensemble”
	-The Boston Globe
“The musicians of REBEL ...share a willingness to let moments of silence speak as powerfully as moments of fortissimo, an unerring instinct for the perfect timing between movements and the ability to draw out even the most overwrought moments of melodrama without losing a sense of momentum. Their playing was always balletically in balance and they projected this music with an evident affection that never hinted at archness or caricature. Most of all. they have perfected the art of the perfect ending, the ability to round off a cadence without fanfare, to whisper a last note or to simply stop, weightlessly and matter-of-factly.”
	-The Washington Post
“Joy and a feeling of utter abandonment to the momentum of the musical line was the prevailing impression...brightly sophisticated flourishes, dazzling improvisation, spectacular fingerwork or easy transparency of articulation was a given”
	-Newark Star Ledger
“REBEL is a precision ensemble that infuses new life into old music by its careful, well-conceived performances...[REBEL] presents a model of chamber music ensemble playing”
	-The Journal News, Westchester, NY
“The performers--an international assemblage-- proved they are absolutely at the top of their class”
	-News Times, Danbury, CT
“As in all the music, the members of REBEL were caught up in the exuberant mood of Telemann’s music. The string playing was svelte and vibrant, the accompaniment charged with energy. The players...showed how skilled period- instrument ensembles have become. They can match modern- instrument colleagues virtuosic turn for virtuosic turn, and expressive beauty for expressive beauty. And the music they have to play often is just as good.”
	-Houston Chronicle
“There is a great physical and musical verve to their playing, with a vigorous interchange of ideas taking place in a tightly synchronized ensemble...this septet proved that period instruments need not be devoid of hemoglobin”
-San Francisco Classical Voice (on REBEL’s performance at the 2001 Berkeley Early Music Festival)
“Telemann, the master of the gout réunis, could be heard most convincingly at the spectacular performance of REBEL at the Reichsaal ...this was vital music-making of the highest order, with abundant energy and rhythm, with the requisite amount of desired rough edges...in Matthias Maute, REBEL boasts a superb and most elegant master player, an utter joy to listen to”
-Mittelbayerische Zeitung, Germany (on REBEL’s performance at Tage Alter Musik Regensburg 2003)
“In a festival of mostly sold-out concerts by orchestras and ensembles from France, Italy, Finland, the Czech republic, Poland, USA and Germany, the New York-based ensemble REBEL set the first highpoint of the 19th annual festival Tage Alter Musik Regensburg. This exquisite ensemble cultivates elegance of tone with highly contrasting dynamic gradations...without falling into mannered extremes. Matthias Maute, on traverso and recorder, left an indelible impression as soloist. In this highly-praised concert, everything was just about perfect: vituosity, joie de vivre, and, last but not least, a commanding and thoroughly appealing stage presence.”
--Tage Alter Musik Regensburg Magazine, Germany
“The REBEL Ensemble for Baroque Music has created quite a buzz on the international scene, and their concert Friday was an excellent indicator of why their reputation is so strong...Matthias Maute showcased excellent breath control and a keen sense of dynamics throughout..the interplay between Schwarz, Marmer and Maute was a joy to hear...and the solid ground provided by Shin and Moran allowed the others to fly as high as they did”
--The Buffalo News
“The six-member ensemble, which is based in New York City, plays 18th-century music with 21st-century American energy. Phrasing is brusque. Rhythms are vigorous”
--The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
“In the opening concert of the “Baroque Music in the Handelhaus” series, Halle a.d. saale,, REBEL offered extreme renditions of the scores. Pieces by Handel and his contemporaries were interpreted, down to the finest of nuances...racing tempi, extreme dynamics and virtuosity belied a spontaneity despite the extraordinary control...electrifying tension [seemed to reach] its peak before intermission, only to be surpassed by the finale”
	-Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, Germany
“The REBEL Baroque Orchestra... was one of the great assets of the performance...the orchestra was both lean and vivid; the silvery color of period string instruments shone with a warm vitality”
	-The New York Times
“REBEL emphasized the music’s silence as powerfully as its haunting, droning strings...gruff bowing from the strings and vigorous strumming from guitarist Daniel Swenberg pulled the concerto out of the concert hall into a Tuscan Village pub, swinging and rocking...they enjoy playing loud and fast as needed-- a refreshing approach compared with some anemic period-instrument groups from decades ago...[Matthias Maute] displayed a rare virtuosity. With a pure, round tone he swept through Vivaldi’s rapid-fire runs, barely taking a breath...Maute may be the finest of today’s players”
	-The Washington Post
“The clean acoustics of the cathedral proved ideal for [REBEL’s] incisive and highly accented playing...Vivaldi’s E-minor concerto was performed with exuberant panache and jaw-dropping virtuosity by the amazing Matthias Maute, who is clearly poised to be early music’s next breakout superstar...REBEL’s playing was inspired and energetic, with an easy virtuosity...”
	-The Kansas City Star
“REBEL plays with sincerity, conviction and unrelenting determination...throughout the program they were as engaging to watch as they were to hear...”
	-The San Francisco Classical Voice
“[The program was performed] with technical brilliance...this was chamber music at its best...rhythmic precision at any speed, flawless intonation and balance in both chordal and contrapuntal writing...the performance was great drama...every player was a full participant, [each] giving intense expression...from the smallest motive to the larger phrases, each musical idea had a natural sense of growth and cadence with excellent control of dynamics and timing”
	-The Virginian-Pilot
"The REBEL ensemble provided a glorious and comprehensive sampling of Baroque music from Europe...each player exhibited splendid, intelligent artistry...enticing Friday's audience into experiencing anew the bracing quality of Baroque music"
	-Kalamazoo Gazette

RECORD REVIEWS
“the playing is stylish, rhythmic and technically assured...and there is remarkable precision of ensemble throughout” (Tombeau: The Complete Trio Sonatas of Jean-Féry Rebel; Deutsche Harmonia Mundi)
	-The Strad (London)
“colorful and captivating...all the performers are in top form, exhibiting complete mastery and often dazzling virtuosity” (Telemann alla Polacca, Dorian Recordings)
	-Classics Today (UK)
“[Matthias Maute’s] work deserves the highest praise...his playing is positively demoniac, inspired, quick, accurate, and playing more idiomatic ornamentation than I have yet heard anywhere. His character is a good fit for the virtuoso Schwarz, who digs for all the expression in these pieces. The ensemble is tight, with a mellow and full sound-- highly recommended--not to be missed!” HIGHEST RATING * * * * * (Telemann alla Polacca, Dorian Recordings)
	-Goldberg Magazine
“Delightful playing--spirited, clean, light, and crystal-clear...the crisp tempos and rhythm help to make each piece interesting and engaging...a thoughtfully selected and well-balanced program, beautifully performed, recorded in luxurious sound, with fine, informative notes.” (Telemann Alla Polacca; Dorian Recordings)
	-American Record Guide
“...lean and lively [music making]...with enormous rhythmic vitality” (Telemann alla Polacca; Dorian Recordings)
	-Classical Net on Telemann Alla Polacca
“effortless, self-assured, gripping playing...one is struck not just by the technical mastery of the performers but by the sheer joy of their music -making, which is the defining aspect of this ensemble, distinguishing it from others in the high class ... to those of the superclass” CD OF THE MONTH, December 2002 (Telemann Alla Polacca, Dorian Recordings)
	-Toccata Magazine (Germany)
“...colorful, virtuosic performances by REBEL...the wonderful variety of instrumental color that [Matthias] Maute provides on his recorders and traverso, not to mention the deeply expressive playing of REBEL’s strings, is irresistable....in its commanding way, [REBEL’s playing] goes right to the head of the class” (Telemann Alla Polacca, Dorian Recordings)
	-Gramophone Magazine
“”These are stylish performances, full of spirit yet receptive to subtler, underlying expressive currents” (Tombeau: The Complete Trio Sonatas of Jean-Féry Rebel; Deutsche Harmonia Mundi)
	-Gramophone Magazine
“REBEL claims to be ‘one of the most sensational baroque ensembles on the horizon today’ and this recording of Rossi and His Circle would appear to justify their claim. It sounds like a tightly focused group of players, technically very accomplished with the members managing to combine intensity, vitality and rhythmic excitement in their playing contrasted with, when the music demands, an effortlessly rhapsodic delivery” (Rossi and His Circle, Dorian Recordings)
	-Early Music Today (UK)
“Owen Burdick, the choir of Trinity Church, Wall Street, and the REBEL Baroque Orchestra turn in a performance that goes straight to the top of the heap in terms of clarity, energy, musicality and ensemble coordination...trumpets and drums have the requisite panache and the strings offer excellent intonation and an appealingly sweet timbre” (Joseph Haydn: Missa Brevis in F; Missa Cellensis, Hänssler Classics) HIGHEST RATING 10 / 10
	-Classics Today
“[An] outstanding recital...an appealing mixture of the familiar and unfamiliar” HIGHEST RATING 10/10
-Classics Today (on ANTONIO VIVALDI: Shades of Red / Bridge Records)