Programme
Tomaso Albinoni ( 1671-1751)
3 Concerti Grossi a cinque op.7:
Violin Concerto in D major
Allegro
Adagio e Staccato
Allegro assai
Violin Concerto in A major
Allegro
Adagio
Allegro
Violin Concerto in B-flat major
Allegro
Adagio
Allegro
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
Concerto Grosso in D major, Op.6 No.1 “ La Forza delle Stelle”
Largo-Allegro
Largo-Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Allegro
Arcangelo Corelli
Concerto Grosso in G minor, Op.6 No.8 “ Christmas Concerto”
Vivace-Grave. Arcate, sostenuto e come stà
II.Allegro
Adagio-Allegro-Adagio
Vivace
Allegro-Largo. Pastorale ad libitum
Tomaso Albinoni
Violin Concerto in B-flat major, Op.9 No.1
Allegro
Adagio
Allegro
Performers
De Valette Chamber Orchestra Ensemble
Carmine Lauri, Solo Violin
Anna Kosińska, 1st Violin
Matthew Denton, 2nd Violin
Jano Lisboa, Viola
Emma Denton, Cello
Francesca Lauri, Harpsichord
Programme Notes
In Venice and Rome at the dawn of the 18th century, the concerto grosso and the solo concerto were flourishing forms, and two of their finest masters were Tomaso Albinoni and Arcangelo Corelli.
From Albinoni’s Op. 7 collection of 1715 come three concertos that reveal his lyrical elegance and gift for dialogue between violin and ensemble. The D major glitters with brightness, the A major flows with warmth, and the B-flat major carries a tender, more introspective quality - together tracing a spectrum of Venetian refinement.
Corelli, admired across Europe for the balance and poise of his Op. 6 concertos, is represented first by the D major, sometimes called La Forza delle Stelle (“The Strength of the Stars”), whose alternation of solemn adagios and animated allegros embodies both dignity and brilliance. Even more celebrated is the G minor Christmas Concerto, written for Christmas Eve. Its sequence of contrasting movements concludes with a gentle Pastorale, evoking shepherds gathered at the manger and offering music of serene devotion.
Albinoni’s later Op. 9 concertos, dedicated to the Roman patron Cardinal Ottoboni, show his mature style. The B-flat major concerto featured here is a perfect example: the violin sings with supple lyricism, framed by graceful orchestral writing, balancing expressive intimacy with light virtuosity.
Together, these works trace the richness of the Italian Baroque concerto—music that alternates brilliance and contemplation, festive grandeur and intimate song.
Biographies
Carmine Lauri, Violin
As a long-time member of the London Symphony Orchestra Carmine led the orchestra for the past 25 years under distinguished conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir John Eliott Gardiner, Sir Antonio Pappano and Gianandrea Noseda, just to name a few, and had the privilege to have led the orchestra in concert for both Sir Colin Davis and Bernard Haitink for their last appearance with the orchestra before their sad demise. He also premiered 2 violin concertos accompanied by the LSO both at the Barbican and the Royal Albert Hall and has earned worldwide recognition also having led the orchestra in countless soundtracks for movies including Harry Potter, Star Wars and the latest movie Maestro. He was the soloist in John Williams’s Schindler’s List in a concert with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer himself in a special unique performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Lauri has performed extensively worldwide including performances in the presence of various Heads of State. He has guest led orchestras including the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the London Philharmonic, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Bournemouth Symphony, Manchester Camerata and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under distinguished conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Bernard Haitink, Sir Colin Davis, Riccardo Chailly, Yuri Temirkanov and Valery Gergiev.
Carmine is one of the unique musical ambassadors of his native country Malta which, as a result of making a name for his country as a world class violinist and soloist, bestowed upon him the Honour of Member of the Order of Merit (M.O.M). He was elected as both an Associate and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London, for his achievements in his career.
Anna Kosińska, Violin
Since her solo debut in New York’s renowned Carnegie Hall, Anna Kosińska has performed regularly in the world’s most prestigious venues, including Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Musikverein, Tokyo Opera, Tonhalle Zürich, Barbican Centre London, Suntory Hall Tokyo, Southbank Centre London, Soul Arts Centre, The Charles Bronfman Auditorium Tel Aviv, Cadogan Hall London, The Great Hall Beijing, Lincoln Centre New York, Warsaw Philharmonic and Rudolfinum Prague. She is a major prize winner of many international violin competitions, including The International Violin Competition Carnegie Hall, New York, The International Violin Competition in Lugano, Switzerland. She was also awarded multiple scholarships in recognition of her achievements in the field of classical music, including Scholarship of the President of the Republic of Poland, Scholarship at the Music Institute and Society in Warsaw, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage Poland, Music and Art Governmental award of the Bundesrepublik Deutschland. She has performed with orchestras across the globe, sharing music with audiences in Japan, China, South Korea, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain and USA. Along the way, she has appeared in prestigious concert halls and international festivals, earning recognition for the depth and artistry of her playing. These experiences reflect her passion for connecting with audiences worldwide and her growing reputation as a violinist of international distinction. Anna Kosińska recorded for Naxos, Sony Classical, Decca, ARD, ZDF, Medici and Polish Television TVP.
Anna Kosińska is Co-Leader of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and member of The Berlin Symphony Orchestra.
Matthew Denton, Violin
Matthew Denton has performed for more than 25 years as the leader of the Carducci String Quartet, winning prizes at international competitions including the Concert Artists Guild (USA), Kuhmo (Finland), Charles Hennen (Holland), Osaka (Japan), Bordeaux (France) and London (UK). He has recorded over 25 CDs for labels including Signum, Naxos, BMG, Somm, Nimbus and has performed at major concert halls around the world. In 2015 the Quartet won a Royal Philharmonic Society award for ‘Shostakovich15’ – a project which included a performance of the complete Shostakovich quartets in one day, at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. Matt studied with Felix Andrievsky at the RCM and then continued as a Junior Fellow, studying with members of the Amadeus, Alberni and Chilingirian Quartets. He is a violin professor at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, has recorded over 500 scores for film and TV , and pop tracks for Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding and Jethro Tull.
Matt plays on a historic Brother’s Amati violin from 1603 – ‘The Hurwitz ex Cooper’
Jano Lisboa, Viola
Portuguese violist Jano Lisboa is a prize-winner of several major competitions, among them Portugal’s Prémio Jovens Músicos in both viola and chamber music, the NEC Mozart Concerto Competition in Boston (2006), and the Watson Forbes International Viola Competition in Scotland (2009), where he also received the special prize for best interpretation of the commissioned work. He has additionally been honoured with the Merit Citizen’s Medal in Portugal.
A former member of the Quatuor Benaïm in Paris, with whom he toured extensively across Europe, Japan, and Israel, Lisboa is currently Principal Viola of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. His career has taken him to many of the world’s leading venues, including the Berlin and Munich Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall in New York, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Boston’s Jordan Hall, London’s Royal Albert Hall and Wigmore Hall, the Herkulessaal in Munich, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
As a soloist, he has performed with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, the Latvian National Orchestra in Riga, the Israel Chamber Orchestra, and the Munich Philharmonic, in works ranging from Takemitsu’s Viola Concerto to Strauss’s Don Quixote, as well as romances by Bruch and Vaughan Williams. Lisboa is also a dedicated chamber musician and a frequent guest at international festivals, collaborating with artists such as Lisa Batiashvili, Leif Ove Andsnes, Antje Weithaas, Jörg Widmann, Tabea Zimmermann, and François Leleux, as well as the Endellion, Carmina, and Kuss Quartets. He appears with Sarah Christian on her Berlin Classics Tchaikovsky album (2021) in Souvenir de Florence. Jano Lisboa plays a 1932 viola by Ettore Siega.
Emma Denton, Cello
Emma Denton studied at the Royal Academy of Music where she received many of the top awards including the Louise Child Prize for the highest overall degree, the David Martin/Florence Hooten Concerto prize and the Max Pirani and Harry Isaacs chamber music prizes. She was the winner of the Muriel Taylor Scholarship and was selected to perform alongside Rostropovitch at the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Emma has performed concerti with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Nagoya Philharmonic, Britten Sinfonia, London Soloists and recently recorded ‘The Sacred Veil’ for Decca with VOCES8 and the Grammy-winning composer Eric Whitacre. Emma has performed for more than 25 years as the cellist of the acclaimed Carducci Quartet. They have appeared at major concert halls around the world and their Naxos recordings of Philip Glass Quartets have had over fifteen million streams on Spotify. Emma plays on a Ruggieri cello c. 1685.
Francesca Lauri, Harpsichord
Francesca Lauri is sought after as a collaborative pianist specialising in the vocal repertoire of song and opera. She recently won the collaborative piano prize at the 2024 Royal Over-Seas League competition, and previously the 2023 AESS Dorothy Richardson English Song Prize and the 2022 Somerset Song Prize. Francesca was a finalist in the 2024 Kathleen Ferrier competition alongside prize winners Madeline Boreham and Charlotte Jane Kennedy.
She recently made her BBC Radio 3 debut alongside duo partner Dafydd Jones after their performance at the Wigmore Hall in which he won the ROSL Gold Medal. As a Young Artist, Francesca has participated in various programmes such as Leeds Lieder, Samling and Shipston Song and Oxford Song. She is passionate about French Melodie and was the Viola Tunnard Scholar during her time as a Britten Pears Young Artist where she worked closely with Susan Manoff, Veronique Gens and Audrey Hyland on French Song repertoire. She is currently a Wigmore French Song Exchange Artist. In 2022, she graduated from Trinity Laban,under the tutelage of Sergio de Simone, with First-Class Honours, receiving the TCL Silver Medal for piano studies and the David Gosling Prize for Piano Accompaniment. Francesca is the current Lord and Lady Lurgan collaborative piano fellow for the RCM vocal department.
De Valette Chamber Orchestra
The De Valette Chamber Orchestra stands as a refined embodiment of Malta’s cultural identity on the international classical music stage. It is guided by the visionary leadership of its own Music Director and Concertmaster, worldwide renowned Carmine Lauri, acclaimed Concertmaster and Principal Emeritus of the London Symphony Orchestra. Lauri’s leadership amplifies the orchestra’s ambition to foster meaningful artistic partnerships with world-class performers.
The De Valette Chamber Orchestra brings together musicians from some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras―including the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, The Orchestre National de Lyon, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica or the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra Amsterdam.
Further elevating the orchestra’s artistic profile is the appointment of German cellist Maximilian Hornung as Artist-in-Residence. Maximilian Hornung is recognized as one of the preeminent cellists of his generation.
DVCO united by a shared dedication to artistic excellence. DVCO musicians from diverse countries come together on one stage to showcase the Maltese rich heritage, placing it firmly as a distinguished Ambassador of Culture on the international platform.