I Virtuosi Italiani

I Virtuosi Italiani is a chamber orchestra performing on original instruments, specializing in the music of the Baroque and Classical periods. A prolific recording group, as well as touring and being featured on radio broadcasts, it has established an international reputation. I Virtuosi Italiani was heard on the 2020 Erato recording Rossini: Amici e Rivali. I Virtuosi Italiani was founded in Verona, Italy, in 1989. Its membership is drawn from Italian orchestras and educators at local music schools. Alberto Martini has served as the first violinist and artistic director since 2006, and Corrado Rovaris is the principal conductor. From its inception, the group has been active in Italy, performing at prestigious venues such as the Teatro alla Scala, Accademia di Santa Cecilia, and Teatro La Fenice. I Virtuosi Italiani was invited to perform a concert for the Senate of the Republic of Italy, which was performed in Rome, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem, and broadcast on RAI to an international audience. Along with its broadcasts and numerous albums, I Virtuosi Italiani has also found success abroad through tours across Europe, South America, and the U.S. The group has performed with a variety of soloists, including flutist Massimo Mercelli and tenors Lawrence Brownlee and Michael Spyres, and is regularly led by guest conductors such as Antonio Ballista and Giovanni Allevi. I Virtuosi Italiani has recorded over 100 albums for Sony, EMI, and Naxos, among many others. Though its repertoire consists mainly of music from the Baroque and Classical periods, it does perform music from other eras, such as a 2012 release of music by Philip Glass on the Orange Mountain Music label. For Naxos, the group, led by Franz Hauk, issued the premiere recording of sacred motets by Johann Simon Mayr in 2017. In 2020, I Virtuosi Italiani backed Brownlee and Spyres on an album of Rossini Duets for the Erato label. ~ Keith Finke