Founded in 1985 and conducted by Giovanni Antonini, Il Giardino Armonico is internationally recognized as one of the leading period instrument ensembles. The group specializes in the repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries, offering acclaimed performances in both concert and opera settings. Notable productions include Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Vivaldi’s Ottone in Villa, and Händel’s Agrippina, Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, La Resurrezione, and Giulio Cesare in Egitto, often featuring renowned artists such as Cecilia Bartoli during celebrated festivals like the Salzburg Whitsun and Summer Festival 2012.
For many years, Il Giardino Armonico recorded exclusively for Teldec Classics, earning major awards for its interpretations of Vivaldi and other 18th-century composers. The ensemble collaborated extensively with Cecilia Bartoli, producing groundbreaking albums like Vivaldi Album (Decca, 2000 – Grammy Award), Sacrificium (Decca, 2009 – Platinum Album and Grammy), and Farinelli (Decca, 2019). Other significant releases include Händel Concerti Grossi Op. VI and Il Pianto di Maria with Bernarda Fink (Decca/L’Oiseau-Lyre), as well as two highly praised albums with Julia Lezhneva: Alleluia (2013) and Händel in Italy (2015).
In 2016, Il Giardino Armonico partnered with violinist Isabelle Faust for the complete recording of Mozart’s Violin Concertos (Harmonia Mundi), earning the Gramophone Award and Le Choc de l’année. The ensemble recently expanded its repertoire with a focus on virtuoso composer Pietro Antonio Locatelli, releasing an album in August 2023 that won the Diapason d’Or. Another 2023 highlight was a collection of Baroque concertos with mandolinist Avi Avital (Deutsche Grammophon), awarded the Opus Klassik.
The ensemble has also collaborated with Alpha Classics and NFM Wroclaw, releasing innovative albums such as Serpent & Fire with Anna Prohaska (2016 – ICMA “Baroque Vocal” award) and La morte della Ragione (2019 – Diapason d’Or and Le Choc Classica). The Telemann Album earned the Diapason d’Or de l’Année and Echo Klassik in 2017. Its Vivaldi Album Concerti per flauto (2020) and What’s Next Vivaldi? with Patricia Kopatchinskaja (2020) have received critical acclaim and prestigious awards, including the Opus Klassik in 2021.
Since 2014, Il Giardino Armonico has been integral to the Haydn2032 project, aiming to record the complete Haydn symphonies for Alpha Classics. The series has produced standout releases such as La Passione (2015 – Echo Klassik), Il Filosofo (2016 – Choc of the Year), Solo e Pensoso (2016), and Il Distratto (2017 – Gramophone Award). Recent volumes include La Roxolana (2020), L’Addio (2021 – Choc of the Year and Diapason d’Or), and Hornsignal (2023). In 2022, the first 10 volumes were compiled into a CD box set. The project also includes Die Schöpfung, recorded with the Bavarian Radio Chorus in 2020.
With a legacy of excellence and innovation, Il Giardino Armonico continues to redefine period performance, offering audiences a journey through baroque and classical music that is both historically informed and artistically groundbreaking.
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