EARLY SONATAS

* Masumi Nagasawa plays an authentic 18th Century harp, with a single action mechanism

* In these youth works the violin is not treated as a solo instrument, but rather as an accompaniment to the harpsichord, or in this case, the harp

* In Mozart"s time the harp became a one of the more fashionable instruments and there was a great demand for repertoire. During research in a Parisian library Masumi Nagasawa discovered a score from that period that indicated that the part of the harpsichord could also be played on harp and decided to do just that.

* Ryo Terakado is one of the pioneers of the baroque violin and has a very busy career, not only as a violinist but also as a conductor

Masumi Nagasawa performs on modern grand, single-action, Irish and Japanese ancient harp. She studied with Phia Berghout at the Conservatory in Maastricht and the historical harp with Mara Galassi. Her study was concluded with the soloist diploma cum laude, followed by the award Prix d"Excellence. In 1990, she received the Muramatsu Music Prize Grand Prix Japan, which is awarded to highly prestigious musicians. Masumi has given recitals in many international concert halls such as in Amsterdam, Tokyo, Budapest, Rome, Washington D.C., Copenhagen, and Brussels. Her recitals vary with expanded repertoire and programs. She has performed numerous programs for radio and television in Europe and Japan. She has been a soloist with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, the St. John"s College Choir Cambridge, and also appeared as a soloist together with Dame Kiri te Kanawa and Cecilia Bartoli. She has been invited to numerous International festivals including Kuhmo International Chamber Music Festival, Herbst Festival Düsseldorf, Takefu International Music Festival, Salzburg Music Festival, Geneva Music Festival, Akiyoshidai International Music Festival and the Ittinger Pfingstkonzerte. She has also performed with the Freiburger Baroque Orchestra, Balthasar-Neuman Ensemble, and as a soloist with the Netherlands Bach Society. Besides her performances, she has composed and arranged various pieces for the harp which have been published and recorded. She currently teaches at the conservatory in Maastricht and lives in Amsterdam.

Born 1961 in Santa-Cruz, Bolivia, Ryo Terakado started to play violin at the age of 4. He won the 2nd prize in the Japan Youth Musical Competition when he was only 14 years old and studied violin, chamber music and conducting at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, after which he served for 2 years as concertmaster of The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. His interest in Baroque music already started when he was 19 years old and led him to start playing the baroque violin by himself. A few years later he founded Concert Spirituel together with flutist Masahiro Arita and cellist Hidemi Suzuki.

In 1985 he came to the Netherlands to study the baroque violin at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague under guidance of Sigiswald Kuijken and since 1987 he played as a concertmaster with many Baroque orchestras, such as Les Arts Florissants, La Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent and the Tokyo Bach Mozart Orchestra. Presently he is concertmaster and soloist of La Petite Bande and the Bach Collegium Japan. Since 1994, he is one of the main artists in the Hokutopia International Music Festival in Tokyo. It is there that he debuted as a conductor. Since 1997 Ryo Terakado is chief conductor of the orchestra Les Boreades. Since 2000 he joined the ensemble Il Gardellino as one of its core members.