La Serenissima was founded in 1994 for a performance of Antonio Vivaldi's La Senna Festeggiante (RV 693). Since then, it has given the U.K. premieres of many Vivaldi works including Ottone in Villa (RV 729), Giustino (RV 724) Tito Manlio (RV 717), Tremori al braccio (RV 799), the Concerto per la Solennita della S. Lingua di S. Antonio in Padova 1712 (RV 212), the concerto Il Proteo o sia il Mondo al Rovescio (RV 572), and the violin sonata (RV 798). The group also gave the UK premiere of Albinoni's Il Nascimento dell'Aurora for the Spitalfields Festival in 2001.
The ensemble, led by Adrian Chandler, has been in wide demand appearing in many festivals including Lichfield, Warwick, Southwark, Spitalfields, Bruges, Beverley, and Copenhagen. They have toured Le Quattro Stagioni to Venice, London, and Glasgow, receiving rave reviews in The Independent. Other engagements have included virtuoso recitals in Belfast, for the BBC in London, Glasgow and Belfast, and various concerts of Vivaldi's orchestral music.
This is La Serenissima's first recording, but they will return to the recording studio next year to record a disc of Vivaldi concerti entitled Vivaldi in Arcadia. They have also broadcast for Classic fM, Danish Radio, and Belgian Radio.
Adrian Chandler was born in Merseyside in 1974. He studied at the Royal College of Music with Rodney Friend and Catherine Mackintosh. Whilst he was an undergraduate there, he founded La Serenissima with whom he has given many recitals and concerts.
Adrian has led many British early music ensembles such as the Musicians of the Globe, the Gabrieli Players, the Classical Opera Company, the Avison Ensemble, Concerto Caledonia, the New London Consort and also his own ensemble, La Serenissima.
His broadcasts include work for BBC Radio 3, Radio Scotland, Dutch Radio, Radio Belgium, Radio France, Radio Denmark, Classic fM and Japanese TV.
Gareth Deats studied at the University of Southampton before going on to complete a postgraduate course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Anthony Pleeth. He has recorded for television, radio and on compact disc and has performed throughout Europe. Apart from his work with La Serenissima, Gareth has played principal cello for the Classical Opera Company, Cambridge Baroque Camerata, The Avison Ensemble, Charivari Agrable and the Galeazzi Ensemble.
Robert Howarth studied music at the University of York. He now works as a harpsichordist for La Serenissima, Ricordo, The Avison Ensemble, The English Baroque Soloists, Florilegium and the Gabrieli Players. He is a regular musical assistant at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich and the Hamburg Opera House as well as appearing regularly at the Salzburg Festival. As a conductor, he has worked with the Northern Sinfonia and at the Hamburg Opera House with Handel's Alcina.
