Vivaldi's Mandolin Concerti with Raffaele La Ragione

Recognised for ‘whipping up a storm with Vivaldi’, La Serenissima is ‘one of Britain’s best-loved chamber orchestras’ (The Telegraph). The group has uncovered a plethora of neglected music, making it available to all and uniquely the group’s entire repertoire is edited from source material by founder and violinist, Adrian Chandler OSI.

Established in 1994, La Serenissima is recognised for its outstanding recording catalogue, which is regularly featured on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM and international radio. The group has twice won the Gramophone Award for ‘Baroque Instrumental’ for The French Connection (2010) and The Italian Job (2017). La Serenissima topped the UK Classical Chart in 2018 with the album Vivaldi x2. The ensemble’s growing online following is evidenced by more than 1.3 million monthly Spotify listeners; their 2015 recording of The Four Seasons is now ‘potentially the most streamed interpretation ever’ (Gramophone). La Serenissima has performed throughout the UK and internationally in concert series and festivals and celebrates its 30th Anniversary at London’s Wigmore Hall during 2024-5 with a Residency entitled ‘The A-Z of the Italian Baroque’: Presenting music from Ariosti to Zavateri. La Serenissima is proud to have as its Honorary Patron, His Excellency The Ambassador of Italy to the UK.

Raffaela La Raglione (mandolin) was born in Naples in 1986. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has toured throughout Italy, Europe and Asia and has collaborated as a performer and recording artist with I Solisti Veneti (Claudio Scimone), Il Pomo d’Oro (Francesco Corti), Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (Myung-Whun Chung), La Serenissima, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Greek National Opera, Orchestra dei Pomeriggi Musicali Milano, and La Toscanini Parma.

Programme:
Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello (c. 1690-1758) Ouverture-Suite for strings & continuo in F
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Sinfonia for strings & continuo in G, RV 149
Anon. C18. arr. Adrian Chandler Canzoni da batello for mandolin & archlute
Antonio Vivaldi Concerto for mandolin, strings & continuo in C, RV 425

– INTERVAL –

Diogenio Bigaglia (c.1678-1745) Concerto for mandolin, strings and continuo in G
Anon. C18. arr. Adrian Chandler Canzoni da batello for 2 mandolins
Antonio Vivaldi Concerto for 2 mandolins, strings & continuo in G

Performers:
Raffaele La Ragione mandolin
Lynda Sayce mandolin, archlute
La Serenissima
Adrian Chandler director