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Europa Galante

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Europa Galante is an Italian Baroque orchestra on period instruments, founded in 1990 by the violinist Fabio Biondi, who also leads it. The group began its career with a recording of Vivaldi's Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) in 1991. Vivaldi concertos followed, Corelli's concerti grossi, Salve Regina and chamber music by Boccherini, including six trios op. 47 and string quintets.

Music and breakthrough

The repertoire is broad. It includes operas by Cavalli, oratorios by Caldara, oratorios and concertos by Scarlatti, and recently also Bellini's Norma and Donizetti's Anna Bolena. The ensemble first recorded for the French label Opus 111, then for ten years for Virgin Classics, where Vivaldi's La stravaganza, Scarlatti's Concerti e Sinfonie and the operas Bajazet and Ercole su'l Termodonte were released. Later it also recorded for the Spanish Glossa, including Il diario di Chiara with music from the Pietà in Venice and, in 2014, Vivaldi's Farewell Concertos. In 1997 the group was nominated for a Grammy for best small ensemble. It has played at La Scala, the Concertgebouw, the Royal Albert Hall, Lincoln Center and the Sydney Opera House, with soloists such as Roberta Invernizzi, Ian Bostridge and Philippe Jaroussky.

Influence

Europa Galante belongs to the generation that made the performance of Baroque music on period instruments more energetic and direct in the 1990s. Their Four Seasons in particular, with its lively, almost theatrical playing, brought Vivaldi to a wide audience.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Spring from Vivaldi's Le quattro stagioni in the recording by Europa Galante and notice how the soloist and the strings depict the birds, the water and the thunderstorm with sharp accents.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists