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
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Mendelssohn: String Symphonies Nos. 10, 11 & 12
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Neapolitan Serenade
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 13 Mar 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: Oboe Concerto In C Major, RV 450, 1. Allegro molto
Albrecht Mayer, Luca Pianca, Andrea Zucco, I Musici
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 13 Oct 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi e le sue Quattro Stagioni
Classical - Released by MAMANOQUIERE on 2 Aug 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi-Le quattro stagioni
Classical - Released by MAMANOQUIERE on 20 Apr 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
G. Gabrieli, Albinoni, Marcello & Vivaldi: Canzoni & Concerti (Mono Version)
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Quatre concertos de Noël (Mono Version)
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elmi: Oboe Concerto In A Minor, 1. Adagio
Albrecht Mayer, Luca Pianca, Andrea Zucco, I Musici
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 8 Sep 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: 4 Concerti (Mono Version)
I Musici, Bruno Giuranna, Montserrat Cervera
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Oct 1954
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
I Musici : Corelli • Bonporti • Paisiello • Telemann • Vivaldi
Classical - Released by Ermitage Records on 1 Jan 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach Violin Concertos
I Musici, Roberto Michelucci, Felix Ayo
Classical - Released by Stave on 7 Jan 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Roussel, Martin, Nielsen, Hindemith, Bartók & Britten
Gino Ghedin, Roberto Michelucci, I Musici
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Récital (Mono Version)
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Corelli: Concerto de Noël, Op. 6 N °8 (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Corelli: Concerti grossi, Op. 6 (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Concertos pour violons, BWV 1041 - 1043 (Mono Version)
Felix Ayo, Roberto Michelucci, I Musici
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Divertimento, K. 136, Sérénades, K. 239 "Nocturne" & K. 525 "Une petite musique de nuit" (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Respighi, Barber, Bartók, Britten: Pièces pour orchestre à cordes (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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