Pratum Integrum ("unmown meadow" in Latin) - is an orchestra dedicated to Early Music. It is the only Russian orchestra, comprising all the groups of historical instruments.

Early Music is still not perfectly studied and Pratum Integrum selects the repertoire, containing compositions totally new for the international audience.

Pratum Integrum instruments are either authentic (of XVIII-XIX centuries), or modern copies of those. Authentic performances, widely popular in Western Europe, were almost unknown in Russia up to 1990s. This style radically changes Early Music compositions - like after restoration, a musical picture appears cleaned from later layers.

In order to bring back to concert halls the brilliant compositions of XVIII century Pratum Integrum carries out an active research programme . The results of these activities are unique: the first Russian symphony - Sinfonia in C major by Maxim Berezovsky - was discovered; the first opera by Dmitry Bortnyansky ("Creonte"; considered vanished) was returned from obscurity. A number of pieces by Russian and European composers were reconstructed, music by foreign composers who lived in Russia back in XVIII century was performed. Pratum Integrum recorded a premiere monographic album of Anton Ferdinand Tietz - an outstanding violinist virtuoso who gained a glory at the Court of Catherine The Great.

The orchestra's history began in 1993 when the Ancient Music Ensemble was created in Moscow Conservatory. In this Ensemble headed by a world-known pianist and harpsichordist Alexei Lyubimov, almost all the Pratum Integrum musicians played in a due course. In 2001 they separated in a group and performed a series of Early Music concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg under the name of "Musica Antiqua Sankt-Petersburg". Success of that project had two important consequences - first, the musicians felt themselves as an intact orchestra ready for regular concert activities and second - they attracted public attention and started collaboration with Essential Music Company. With a support from Essential Music in 2003 a new professional orchestra Pratum Integrum was established (Artistic Director - Pavel Serbin).

Pratum Integrum leading performers also continue their solo careers in authentic ensembles - A la Russe, Musica Petropolitana.
"The young Moscow orchestra Pratum Integrum is rapidly becoming a leader in authentic performances. Musicians of this orchestra are real masters. Especially those, playing strings - they sound extremely fresh and daring. Pratum Integrum performs in hurricane tempos and emotional concentration, far exceeding the academic mainstream limits" - Pyotr Pospelov, "Vedomosti" newspaper.

Pratum Integrum performs without a conductor or under direction of invited Maestros. In the season 2003/2004 the orchestra (as well as Moscow public) got a great pleasure and valuable experience giving concerts with world famous musicians - Sigizwald Kuijken (Belgium), Trevor Pinnock (UK), soloists of the Early Music ensemble "Bergen Barokk" (Norway).

Since 2003 Pratum Integrum has been recording monographic albums of the composers of XVIII century exclusively on Caro Mitis label.

Read more about orchestra on the www.pratum.ru site