Their groundbreaking projects include:
- The Full Monteverdi by John La Bouchardière
- Tallis in Wonderland, an innovative way to experience polyphony through live and recorded voices
- Simunye, a South African collaboration
- How Like An Angel (HLAA), a fusion of choral music and contemporary circus arts with Australia’s C!RCA, performed at the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, the Perth International Arts Festival, and cathedrals across Europe
- Betrayal, a polyphonic crime drama set to Gesualdo’s music, performed with singers and dancers in an immersive theater experience
In 2017, the 450th anniversary of Monteverdi was marked with performances of The Other Vespers and L’Orfeo at:
- Glyndebourne
- Cadogan Hall for the BBC Proms
- Queen’s Hall at the Edinburgh International Festival
Their Monteverdi: The Other Vespers album, released by Decca Classics, received critical acclaim and was shortlisted for a Gramophone Award. The celebrations continued in 2018 with performances of L’Orfeo in Antwerp (AMUZ) and beyond, and in 2019, the production incorporated masks by director Thomas Guthrie, with performances in Stour, York, and London.
Exploring Art & Music
I Fagiolini has explored the intersection of art and music, working with renowned Leonardo da Vinci scholar Martin Kemp on Leonardo: Shaping the Invisible, celebrating the 500th anniversary of da Vinci’s death through music and imagery. The project premiered at The National Gallery and was later featured in:
- Apple Music’s online galleries
- Gramophone Magazine
- Classic FM
Following its success, Robert Hollingworth and I Fagiolini appeared in Phil Grabsky’s Leonardo da Vinci documentary Leonardo: The Works for Exhibition on Screen. The film premiered at the Chichester Film Festival and screened in cinemas worldwide, including the Dubai and Vancouver film festivals.
Their latest project, I Fagiolini – Au Naturel, is a choral calendar inspired by Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s The Seasons, reflecting the impact of climate change. The program debuted in Moscow during the British Council’s UK-Russia Year of Music.
A new project inspired by T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land features a series of five modern nocturnes, including:
- Victoria’s Tenebrae Responsories
- Lassus’ Lamentations of Jeremiah and Sibylline Prophecies
Premiered in 2021 for the Tenebrae Festival, the ensemble also continues its collaboration with the Scottish Ensemble, developing an immersive dance program, A Purcell Phantasy.
Recordings & Residency
I Fagiolini’s Decca Classics recordings include:
- Striggio’s Mass in 40 Parts (Gramophone Early Music Award & Diapason d’Or 2011)
- Amuse-Bouche — French choral delicacies
- 1612 Italian Vespers
The ensemble is delighted to be a resident group at the University of York and is represented worldwide by Percius.
