I Musici
Since the early '50s, the pioneering chamber orchestra I Musici has focused on the music of the Italian Baroque but performs a variety of other works. The group set a basic pattern for countless other small Baroque orchestras.
I Musici ("The Musicians") are also known as I Musici di Roma. Originally, the name was intended to suggest a pure enthusiasm for musical performance. The group was formed in 1951 in Rome, where the members -- nine men and three women, the latter unusual at the time -- were students at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia. I Musici gave its first concert at the Santa Cecilia church in March of 1952, and it quickly gained national and even international success. The idea of a chamber orchestra devoted to Baroque music was quite new at the time, and one without a conductor (I Musici has a first-violinist leader who coordinates the group) was newer still, but group members contended successfully that for much of the Italian Baroque, a conductor was not used. Within its first several years, I Musici toured Europe; the group then visited the Americas, Japan, Australia, and southern Africa. I Musici's membership has changed but has been marked by stability; violinist Felix Ayo, leader from 1952 to 1958, performed with the group into the late 2010s. The group was championed early on by legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini, who gave them a signed portrait of himself, inscribed with the words "Good, very good! No, music does not die!"
At first, the orchestra's repertory focused heavily on the music of Vivaldi, Corelli, Albinoni, and other Italian Baroque composers, much of which was uncommon on concert programs in the 1950s and early '60s. Later, the group began to perform string works by 20th century composers, including Barber, Bartók, and Nino Rota. The orchestra has performed consistently at major music festivals, including those in Edinburgh, Salzburg, and Aix-en-Provence. In the '70s, I Musici made the first classical music video. Several famous musicians have passed through I Musici on the way to solo careers, including violinists Salvatore Accardo, director from 1972 to 1977, and Pino Carmirelli from 1977 to 1986 (the founder of the Carmirelli Quartet). The group's recording activities stretch well back into the LP era. I Musici played a major role in popularizing Vivaldi's Four Seasons violin concertos, which it has recorded several times; the group's recordings remained strong sellers for many years. For much of its career, I Musici was associated with the Philips label and then with Decca when both those labels were absorbed into the larger PolyGram conglomerate. In later years, the group has recorded for various labels, including Urania, IDIS, and Dynamic. Through the many innovations and changes of fashion in the performance of Baroque music, I Musici has remained successful and viable. The group released a new recording of The Four Seasons on Decca in 2022, by which time, its catalog comprised some 100 albums.
© James Manheim /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Symphonies from Strauss, Respighi & Stravinskij
Boston Symphony Orchestra, I Musici, English Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Ermitage Rc on 14 Aug 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
interpret Locatelli - Telemann - Torelli
Classical - Released by Zeroh on 3 Aug 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tarantula
World - Released by Musicomania Produzioni Discografiche on 1 Apr 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Italian Music
Classical - Released by >ReNovo< on 2 Feb 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: Four Concertos
Classical - Released by >ReNovo< on 2 Feb 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Italian Baroque Music, Vol. 2
Classical - Released by >ReNovo< on 14 Dec 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Italian Baroque Music, Vol. 1
Classical - Released by >ReNovo< on 14 Dec 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi: Las Cuatro Estaciones
Chamber Music - Released by RHI on 15 Apr 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: 4 Seasons (The) (Ayo / I Musici) (1956)
Classical - Released by Naxos Classical Archives on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pachelbel: Canon
Classical - Released by Decca (UMO) (Classics) on 1 Jan 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Ciapasogn
World - Released by RadiciMusic Records on 10 Apr 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Alessandro Marcello: Monumenta Italicae Musicae
Classical - Released by Sinetone PCA on 29 Jan 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Classical - Released by Discover Classical Music on 1 Aug 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo