Joseph Haydn - Haydn 2032, Vol. 17—Per il Luigi (Giovanni Antonini)

Information

Composer: Joseph Haydn

• Symphony No. 36 in E-Flat Major, Hob. I:36
• Symphony No. 16 in B-Flat Major, Hob. I:16
• Violin Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Hob. VIIa:1 "Concerto fatto per il Luigi"
• Symphony No. 13 in D Major, Hob. I:13

Dmitry Smirnov, violin

Kammerorchester Basel

Giovanni Antonini, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Alpha Classics

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Per il Luigi, the 17th volume in the Haydn 2032 series, showcases some of Joseph Haydn’s earliest symphonies, written to highlight the talents of new members of the Esterházy court orchestra. At the heart of the album is Symphony No. 13 in D major (1763), notable for its four-horn orchestration and a finale that anticipates the theme of Mozart’s later Jupiter Symphony. Also featured is the Violin Concerto in C major, marked fatto per il Luigi in Haydn’s catalogue, dedicated to violinist Luigi Tomasini. Dmitri Smirnov, a rising Baroque violinist, performs with Kammerorchester Basel under Giovanni Antonini.

Born in Milan in 1965, Giovanni Antonini studied at the Civica Scuola di Musica and the Centre de Musique Ancienne in Geneva. He is a founding member and leader of Il Giardino Armonico since 1989, performing internationally with the ensemble. Antonini collaborates with renowned artists like Cecilia Bartoli, Isabelle Faust, and Sol Gabetta, and serves as Principal Guest Conductor of both Kammerorchester Basel and the Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg. He has guest conducted leading orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker and Chicago Symphony, and led operas at major houses including La Scala and the Salzburg Festival. He is Artistic Director of the Wratislavia Cantans Festival and the Haydn 2032 project, aiming to perform and record all of Haydn’s symphonies by the composer’s 300th anniversary.