Ensemble in residence at the Festival Nuove Settimane Barocche, Brixia Musicalis is a product of the collaboration between the violinist Elisa Citterio and the harpsichord player Michele Barchi, two among the most active musicians in the sphere of antique music in Italy, united by their passion and enthusiasm for stylistic probing in the italian instrumental repertory of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Brixia Musicalis’s ambition is to rediscover and exploit the repertory of the authors of northern Italy, the place where, with the modern way of making stringed instruments, the first examples of music for violin soloists originated and developed.
The musicians working with Brixia Musicalis come from the most prestigious italian musical realities (Giardino Armonico, Zefiro, Accademia Bizantina, Europa Galante, Teatro alla Scala). They use original instruments or modern copies of baroque instruments, rigorously respecting the sources and the musical contexts they have to confront themselves with.
Ever since its foundation, Brixia Musicalis has participated to numerous musical festivals, such as the Festival Internazionale di Portogruaro, Antiqua 2005, the University of Calabria’s Performing Arts and Musical Center’s concert season and the Festival Grandezze e Meraviglie.
In July 2004 Brixia Musicalis has realized, collaborating with La Scala’s Theatre Academy of Milan, the play Il borghese gentiluomo, by Jean-Baptiste Lully, performed at the Litta Theatre in Milan.
In 2003 Brixia Musicalis becomes the residing ensemble of the Festival Nuove Settimane Barocche.
The ensemble has published a CD and a DVD, collecting two live concerts performed during the first two editions of the Festival Nuove Settimane Barocche.
Another recording has been recently made, it consists of a collection of sonatas for trio by Don Pietro Gnocchi, for the MV Records of Cremona, realized in partnership with the LIBER Association of Alfianello.
The DVD is their latest product, it comprehends the live recording of Vivaldi’s Seasons and the Giancarlo Facchinetti Concerto per la Notte di S. Silvestro (New Year’s Eve Concert), dedicated to the group, both recording and video have been appreciated by the specialized press.