Ensemble Caprice, based in Montreal, has proven a durable presence on the Baroque music scene in Canada and beyond. The group's interpretations have sometimes been controversial, but that has perhaps been a draw leading to the growth of its large recording catalog. Ensemble Caprice was founded in Germany in 1989 by Matthias Maute. The group has always had a small core membership (currently five musicians), to which it adds according to the requirements of the music being performed. The year 1997 saw the recording debut of Ensemble Caprice on an album of music by Corelli and Johann Kuhnau. Two years later, the group issued the album Sweet Follia. In 2021, Ensemble Caprice was heard on a performance of Handel's Messiah, HWV 56, conducted by Maute and featuring the Ensemble Vocal Arts-Québec.