Group
La Serenissima
- From
- United Kingdom
- Since
- 1994–present
- Rating
- ★ 5
- Releases
- 26
About
La Serenissima is a British early music/period instrument ensemble founded in 1994 by violinist Adrian Chandler, who has served as the group's director since its creation. Taking its name from La Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia (Italian for The Most Serene Republic of Venice), the ensemble specializes in the music of Venetian Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) and his contemporaries.
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Uniquely, the group's entire repertoire is edited from manuscript or contemporary sources, and it has been praised for its "glorious and all-too-rare ability to make one’s pulse race afresh with every new project" (Gramophone).
Since its first release on the AVIE label in 2003, La Serenissima's recordings have been lauded by numerous publications and have attracted multiple award nominations; Vivaldi: The French Connection won the 2010 Gramophone Award for Baroque Instrumental. Their interpretation of The Four Seasons was released in 2015, reaching Number 8 in the UK Specialist Classical Chart and featured as Editor's Choice by Gramophone Magazine and Concerto Choice by BBC Music Magazine. Their 2017 release The Italian Job has been praised on BBC Radio 3's Record Review and on Classic FM as "Drive Discovery", reached the Top Ten in the UK Specialist Classical Albums Chart, and won the 2017 Gramophone Award for Baroque Instrumental in the ceremony's 40th Anniversary year. The ensemble's 2018 release Vivaldi x2 is a disc of double concertos (for pairs of horns and oboes; oboe and bassoon; and violin and cello). It entered the UK Classical Music Charts at No. 1 in the week of its release, and featured as Classic FM's Album of the Week.
La Serenissima has performed internationally to acclaim; recent highlights include concerts at Bridgewater Hall, Sage Gateshead and Wigmore Hall, festivals in Petworth, Sablé, Swansea and Valletta, and performances of Brescianello's opera Tisbe at the 2018 Buxton International Festival. During 2017 the ensemble curated its first residency The Grand Tour at St John's Smith Square, performing little-known works by Brescianello, Caldara and Dall’Abaco amongst others of the Italian Baroque; the group gave three performances with choir and soloists at the 2017 Vivaldi in Venice Festival for Martin Randall Travel.
Members
-
Cecilia Bernardini violin
-
Robin Bigwood harpsichord
-
Katy Bircher flute
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Elitsa Bogdanova viola
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Guy Button violin
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Oliver Cave violin
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Carina Cosgrave double bass
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Gareth Deats cello
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Tabea Debus recorder
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Gail Hennessy oboe
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Robert Howarth harpsichord, organ
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James Johnstone harpsichord, organ
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Simon Kodurand violin
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Oakki Lau violin
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Joseph McHardy harpsichord
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Simon Munday trumpet
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Eligio Quinteiro theorbo
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Lynda Sayce theorbo
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Camilla Scarlett violin
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Colin Scobie violin
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Hilary Summers contralto vocals
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Pamela Thorby recorder
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Vladimir Waltham cello
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Peter Whelan bassoon
Discography
Albums
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Per Monsieur Pisendel: Six Virtuoso Violin Sonatas of the Baroque
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L’Amore per Elvira
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The Rise of the North Italian Violin Concerto: 1690-1740 Volume Two: Antonio Vivaldi, Virtuoso Impresario
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The Rise of the North Italian Violin Concerto: 1690 - 1740, Volume 3: The Golden Age
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The French Connection: Concertos for Flute, Violin, Bassoon & Strings
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The French Connection 2: Concertos for Flute, Oboe, Violin, Bassoon & Strings
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Venice by Night
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A Tale of Two Seasons: Concertos & Arias
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The Four Seasons & Concertos for Bassoon and Violin “in tromba marina”
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The Italian Job
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Vivaldi x2
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The Godfather: Masters of the German & Italian Baroque
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Extra Time
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BBC Music, Volume 29, Number 4: Albinoni: Adagio in G minor / Vivaldi
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Settecento: Baroque Instrumental Music from the Italian States
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Behind Closed Doors: Brescianello, Vol. 1
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Forza Azzurri!
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Vivaldi’s Women
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An Englishman Abroad
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Unlocked: Brescianello, Vol. 2
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Diavolo: 6 Violin Sonatas
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Vivaldi x2²
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Crossing Borders
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Opus 8, Vol. 2
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Opus 8 Vol. 1: The Four Seasons & other concertos
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Musica per la Cappella della Pietà
Links
Listen
Official
Concerts
Founder
Instrumental supporting musician
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 9b026fbd-b2ce-48b2-9e52-c5b59f888e34
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 9 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.