La Serenissima's vision is to enrich life through sharing our passion for Italian baroque music. Recording is a vital part of our mission enabling us to make our highest quality work freely available (via radioplay and streaming). New album Settecento places neglected composers Brescianello, Mancini and Vandini in the context of more famous musicians Scarlatti, Tartini and Vivaldi. Tabea Debus (recorder) will play a central role in the album, bringing her artistry to a wider audience.
Classical music has a proven track record in promoting health, wellbeing and intelligence in people of all ages. Baroque music in particular has been shown to enhance sleep quality, lower blood pressure and improve brain function by bridging the right and left sides of the brain. Too often these benefits are inaccessible to people because of a perception that this type of music is niche, elitist or difficult to understand. La Serenissima wants to change this!
New album Settecento will highlight how much good music exists from 18th century Italy and how much has been overlooked. The album will focus on music written for the recorder, an instrument universally known to school children upwards, thereby presenting La Serenissima's sound world in a context that many listeners will be able to relate to. The project will highlight our partnership with Tabea Debus, a powerful advocate for her instrument, inspiring both new audiences and existing followers.
The making of Settecento will enhance La Serenissima's recorded legacy by presenting a variety of uplifting Italian works in an intimate ensemble setting - thereby contrasting with most recent orchestral projects The Godfather and Vivaldi X2. In doing so, the album will help us reconnect with listeners and stimulate wider engagement in our work. It will be the first of several albums with Tabea and may also form the basis for future Outreach initiatives using the recorder in primary schools.
