Viotti: Duos for 2 Violins

Featuring

Fabrizio Falasca
Gianmaria Melis
Giovanni Battista Viotti

Did you know?

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Composer Biography

Viotti was forced to leave Paris in 1792 due to the French Revolution, as he was a foreigner and a personal friend of Queen Marie Antoinette.

Composer Biography

Giovanni Battista Viotti, a near-contemporary of Mozart, came from a humble background but became a top-class soloist, composer, theatre impresario, and teacher.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Viotti is recognized as a pivotal figure who bridged the end of the Ancien Régime and the modern era, contributing to the rise of modern concert-going and the freelance musician.

Historical Context

Viotti lived through the tumultuous European history of the late 18th century and the Napoleonic age, successfully navigating the unprecedented upheaval that changed the face of Europe forever.

Composer Biography

Viotti's early career included a European tour with his teacher Gaetano Pugnani, performing for royalty like Frederick Augustus I of Saxony, Frederick II of Prussia, Stanisław August Poniatowski of Poland, and Catherine the Great of Russia.

Composer Biography

Viotti was later accused of Jacobinism and expelled from England in 1798, despite having fled France due to his aristocratic connections.

Cultural Impact

Viotti's influence was so significant that he, along with other musicians, founded the Philharmonic Society, which later funded Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.