La Serenissima
Biographie La Serenissima
La Serenissima
Founded in 1994 by violinist Adrian Chandler, La Serenissima is now recognised as the UK’s leading exponent of the music of eighteenth century Venice and connected composers. Uniquely, we present world-class musical performances in concert and recording where all the research and editorial work is our own. Described by Gramophone Magazine as having ‘a glorious and all-too-rare ability to make one’s pulse race afresh with every new project’ we have been praised for our ‘fresh approach’ (BBC Music Magazine), ‘dazzling inventiveness’ (The Strad Magazine) and singled out for our ‘difference in attack’ from other orchestras (The Independent).
We delight in bringing great baroque music to the widest possible audience through our trademark mix of ‘blockbuster’ musical works and unknown gems; through live performances, talks and workshops; and through our recordings which are available to all. We’ve championed a plethora of neglected works by composers ranging from Dall’Abaco to Composer X and have also brought to life Vivaldi’s operas Catone in Utica, Giustino, La Fida Ninfa, L’Olimpiade, Ottone in villa and Tito Manlio.
La Serenissima has appeared at many of the UK’s leading festivals including the Bath Bach, Bath International, Beverley, Buxton, Cambridge Summer, Chelsea, Cheltenham, Lichfield, Ryedale, South Bank, Warwick and York Early Music, and at venues including Bridgewater Hall, St George’s Bristol, Snape Maltings, Cadogan Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall. We have given concerts for Music in the Round and leading cultural tours operator Martin Randall Travel; we have also received support from Arts Council England for UK touring projects Vivaldi: The Red Priest and The Four Seasons. We have performed abroad in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta, Mexico and Spain to great acclaim. During 2016/17 we completed our first ever residency at St John’s Smith Square entitled The Grand Tour which incorporated six ground-breaking programmes of music from the Italian States.
Since we started making records (in 2003), La Serenissima has been universally applauded by publications including American Record Guide, BBC Music Magazine, Diapason, Falstaff Magazine, Fanfare Magazine, Gaudisc, Goldberg Magazine, Gramophone Magazine, La Stampa, The Evening Standard, The Guardian, The Independent, The Irish Times, The Strad and The Sunday Times for our performances on the Avie Label. We won Gramophone Awards in the ‘Baroque Instrumental’ category in 2010 for Vivaldi: The French Connection, and in 2017 for The Italian Job. Our recordings have regularly made the Top 10 of the UK Specialist Classical Chart, received frequent award nominations, been featured as ‘Disc of the Month’ and ‘Concerto Choice’ (BBC Music Magazine), ‘Editor’s Choice’ (Gramophone Magazine), ‘Drive Discovery’ (Classic FM) and on BBC Radio 3 programmes ‘Record Review’ and ‘Building a Library’. Part of the follow-up album to our first ever record Per Monsieur Pisendel has been used on the soundtrack to hit American TV series The Originals.
Adrian Chandler
Born on Merseyside in 1974, Adrian Chandler is recognised internationally as a leading interpreter of Italian baroque music. Whilst a student at the Royal College of Music, Adrian founded La Serenissima with whom he has performed as Director/Soloist at major festivals and has recorded extensively for the Avie label (winning a Gramophone Award in 2010). He has been Guest Director and Soloist with many ensembles and will make his debut with Concerto Copenhagen in 2019. Adrian’s performances have been broadcast extensively worldwide; his disc of virtuoso violin sonatas Per Monsieur Pisendel 2 released in 2014 attracted rave reviews and featured on the soundtrack of hit American TV series The Originals. His interpretation of The Four Seasons was released in 2015 to outstanding critical reception and his unique combination of research, editing and performing work has been recognised by twice winning the Gramophone Award for Baroque Instrumental for recording projects The French Connection (2010) and The Italian Job (2017). Adrian’s most recent recording with La Serenissima is a disc of double concertos Vivaldi x2, released in 2018, which went straight to No.1 in the Classical Charts and attracted great critical acclaim.
Known for his virtuosity and commitment as performer, Adrian also works tirelessly to research and edit new repertoire for La Serenissima. He held an Arts and Humanities Research Council fellowship at Southampton University to research the development of the North Italian violin concerto 1690 – 1740, and subsequently a two-year post as Turner Sims Professor. He curated La Serenissima’s first ever residency The Grand Tour at St John’s Smith Square, London during the 2016/17 season, devised and directed three concerts for the 2017 Vivaldi in Venice festival, and in 2018 directed the UK premiere of Brescianello’s opera Tisbe for the Buxton International Festival.
During the 2018/19 season, Adrian will direct La Serenissima in a flagship programme The Godfather at venues around the UK, will perform two bespoke programmes at London’s Wigmore Hall, and will tour to Italy, Denmark, Germany and Spain.
