I Musici is an Italian chamber orchestra from Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 formed in 1952. They are well known for their interpretations of Baroque

Baroque music

Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...

 and other works, particularly Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...

 and Tomaso Albinoni

Tomaso Albinoni

Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni was an Italian Baroque composer. While famous in his day as an opera composer, he is mainly remembered today for his instrumental music, such as the concertos, some of which are regularly recorded.-Biography:Born in Venice, Republic of Venice, to Antonio Albinoni, a...

.

Their 1955 recording of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons

The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)

The Four Seasons is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Composed in 1723, The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces of Baroque music. The texture of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season...

was the second recording of the work - and, indeed, I Musici's first recording of any music. It created such interest in the work that there are now more than 120 recordings.

One of their founding members and first violin, Felix Ayo

Felix Ayo

Felix Ayo, , is an internationally renowned violinist, who is often a soloist, and is a performer of chamber music, a teacher and recording artist with a career that has spanned more than fifty years.-Early career:...

, is still currently active.

Instrumentation

I Musici consists of a group of string instruments and one harpsichord

Harpsichord

A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...

. The strings include 6 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, and one double bass

Double bass

The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...

.

Members

I Musici is a conductorless ensemble. But the relationships among the twelve musicians enable great harmony in their music-making.

I Musici today

violins:
Antonio Salvatore, Antonio Anselmi, Marco Serino, Claudio Buccarella, Pasquale Pellegrino, Gian Luca Apostoli

viola:
Massimo Paris, Silvio Di Rocco

celli:
Vito Paternoster, Pietro Bosna

double bass:
Roberto Gambioli

cembalo:
Francesco Buccarella~Garatti

Former Members

violins:
Salvatore Accardo

Salvatore Accardo

Salvatore Accardo is an Italian violin virtuoso and conductor.He is highly regarded for his interpretations of Paganini, J. S. Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, contemporary works, chamber music, and opera conducting....

, Federico Agostini

Federico Agostini

Federico Agostini was born into a musical family in 1959 at Trieste. He started receiving his first violin lessons from his grandfather, Franco Gulli, at the age of 6 years. After which he studied at the Conservatory of Trieste, Venice and Siena. At the age of 16 he debuted as a soloist under the...

, Felix Ayo, Arnaldo Apostoli, Pina Carmirelli, Italo Colandrea, Anna Maria Cotogni, Walter Gallozzi, Roberto Michelucci, Mariana Sirbu, Franco Tamponi, Luciano Vicari.

violas:
Dino Asciolla, Aldo Bennici, Paolo Centurioni, Carmen Franco, Alfonso Ghedin, Bruno Giuranna.

celli:
Enzo Altobelli, Mario Centurione, Francesco Strano.

double bass:
Lucio Buccarella

cembalo:
Maria Teresa Garatti.