I Musici

28 February - 11 March 2012 VIEW TOUR GUIDE

"What a treat to hear live such an iconic group as I Musici. Players have come and gone over the course of sixty years, but this charismatic group still charms us with idiomatic colour and flair.”
Wilma Smith (violinist and Concertmaster Emeritus of NZSO)

 I Musici music sample - Bossi | 3 Intermezzi Goldoniani, Opus 127 from the I Musici Serenata Italiana CD http://www.imusicidiroma.com/ascolto.html

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Our 2012 season is launched in grand style with one of the best-known ensembles in the world on their first ever visit to New Zealand, I Musici from Rome, Italy.

Famed for its 1955 recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons which led to the work becoming one of the most well-known compositions of the classical music repertoire, I Musici celebrates its 60th anniversary with a Celebration World Tour taking in China, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Australia, Europe, and New Zealand.

The New Zealand tour begins in Wellington on Tuesday 28 February with a concert as part of the New Zealand International Arts Festival, before the 12-member ensemble heads to Palmerston North, Napier, New Plymouth, Hamilton, Auckland, Invercargill, Dunedin, Christchurch and Nelson.

“We were absolutely thrilled to secure I Musici as our opening artists for the 2012 season and I can’t wait to experience this iconic group,” says Chamber Music New Zealand chief executive Euan Murdoch.

Formed in Rome in 1952, I Musici is one of the longest-running active chamber music ensembles in the world and are well known for their interpretations of baroque works particularly those of Antonio Vivaldi and Tomaso Albinoni.

Their 1955 recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons was only the second recording made of the work and the ensemble is widely credited with the work’s enduring popularity – it has featured in films including Spy Games, A View To Kill  and What Lies Beneath, and is often heard in advertising and at weddings. I Musici went on to record Four Seasons another five times with different soloists racking up more than 25 million album sales across the different recordings.

I Musici take you on a journey of the Italian serenade in their Serenata Italiana Programme, with music by Rossini, Respighi, Paganini, and film composer Nino Rota (of The Godfather fame). Featuring string playing that is both pulsing with energy and delicately sweet, this programme will leave you exhilarated!