I Musici

Since its establishment in the early 1950s, the trailblazing chamber ensemble I Musici has centered its efforts on Italian Baroque repertoire while embracing a broader range of compositions. By doing so, the group established a foundational model that influenced numerous subsequent small-scale Baroque orchestras.

Also recognized as I Musici di Roma, the ensemble chose its name to evoke an unadulterated passion for the act of making music. Nine male and three female students from Rome’s Accademia di Santa Cecilia came together to create the ensemble in 1951; the presence of women among the players was noteworthy for that era. The musicians delivered their debut performance at the Santa Cecilia church in March 1952 and soon attracted acclaim throughout Italy and abroad. At the time, the notion of a conductor-less chamber group specializing in Baroque works was novel, yet the players successfully argued that many Italian Baroque scores had originally been performed without a central director, relying instead on the leadership of the principal violinist. Early tours took the ensemble across Europe, followed by engagements in the Americas, Japan, Australia, and southern Africa. Although personnel has evolved over the decades, continuity has remained a hallmark; violinist Felix Ayo, who guided the group from 1952 to 1958, continued appearing with it into the late 2010s. Legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini lent early support, presenting the musicians with an autographed photograph bearing the inscription “Good, very good! No, music does not die!”

The orchestra’s initial programs concentrated on Vivaldi, Corelli, Albinoni, and other Italian Baroque figures whose music rarely appeared on concert stages during the 1950s and early 1960s. Over time, I Musici expanded its scope to include string compositions by twentieth-century creators such as Barber, Bartók, and Nino Rota. The ensemble has maintained a steady presence at prominent festivals, among them those held in Edinburgh, Salzburg, and Aix-en-Provence. During the 1970s it produced the first classical music video. Several distinguished artists passed through its ranks en route to solo careers, notably violinists Salvatore Accardo, who served as director from 1972 to 1977, and Pino Carmirelli, who held the post from 1977 to 1986 and founded the Carmirelli Quartet. Recording activity dates back to the LP period, and the group played a pivotal part in bringing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to wide audiences through multiple releases that enjoyed prolonged commercial success. For many years the orchestra maintained ties with the Philips label and subsequently with Decca after both imprints were incorporated into PolyGram. In more recent decades it has worked with additional companies including Urania, IDIS, and Dynamic. Amid evolving approaches to Baroque interpretation, I Musici has sustained its artistic relevance, issuing a fresh account of The Four Seasons on Decca in 2022 at a point when its discography encompassed approximately one hundred albums.