PROFILE LINKEDIN
Davide Monti is a violinist who combines his infectious energy with an exceptional talent of being a completely natural performer. A much sought-after director, soloist, concertmaster and chamber musician, his playing has been described as “phenomenal”, a “top solo violinist” with “incredible freshness” where “all appears extraordinarily spontaneous and organic”. His prize-winning recordings include his version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons which has been reviewed as “definitely one of the best versions of the decade”.
After the degrees from the Conservatories of Parma and Verona, Davide’s playing has evolved and developed thanks to his ongoing research on historical practices, and many collaborations with great musicians of our time, each noteworthy for their own individual approach to music: from Ton Koopman to Michael Radulescu and Gabriel Garrido, from Alberto Rasi, Stefano Veggetti and Susie Napper to Enrico Gatti, Enrico Parizzi and Stanley Richie (his violin teachers), from Emma Kirkby to Roberta Invernizzi and Gemma Bertagnolli, from Sergio Vartolo to Lars Ulrik Mortensen and John O'Donnell.
Davide is known all over the world for his passion and charisma, and for creating a special sound. He has been leader/soloist with The European Baroque Orchestra (EUBO), Il Tempio Armonico (recording the complete orchestral works of F.E. Dall’Abaco), Accademia Arcadia Australia, Ensemble Elyma, Athestis e Accademia de li Musici, Verdi Baroque Orchestra, il Complesso Barocco, Cordia, A Corte, and English Touring Opera. He was guest director and soloist with Tafelmusik Toronto in 2014 and Camerata Brisbane in 2018. Due of the depth of research and syntony achieved, he is also noted for his work with small chamber groups including Accademia Strumentale Italiana, Ensemble il Falcone, and Arparla with his wife the harpist Maria Christina Cleary.
Davide focuses on the art of improvising, where the experience of extemporaneous communication parallels other art-forms such as jazz, theatre, traditional music, dance, fencing, and horse-riding. He considers the score to be a canvas in which each performance and interpretation is different and vital.
Davide has taught on many occasions, giving master-classes in Conservatories and Universities in Italy, Switzerland, France, Ireland, Norway, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Canada, and Uganda, always emphasising the role of improvisation in historical informed practices. He has also taught historical improvisation at the Conservatory of Vicenza, and baroque violin in Brescia, Verona, Firenze and Bari Conservatory. He is currently baroque violin teacher in Cagliari Conservatory. In 2015 he founded the International School of Improvisation - Helicona project, that teaches musical improvisation within a multidisciplinary perspective, leading to a complex and fascinating system of strategies. Helicona has been protagonist in 2021 of the Pegamuse Project with the Hute Ecole de Musique, in Genéve, in un course that saw musicians and horse-riders working together for some months. In 2022 Helicona Project has been awarded Cross-Border Project of the Year in the REMA AWARDSW.
The recordings of Arparla, with harpist Maria Christina Cleary, include So mach’ die Augen zu, the first ever CD of Louis Spohr’s music using original instruments and historical performing practices. Their second prizewinning CD, Le Grazie del Violino, is a journey through some of the most beautiful Italian sonatas of the 17th century. Arparla is specialising in the complete works by Marco Uccellini, and after releasing Canzoni over Sonate Op 5, the very first book of solo sonatas for violin and basso continuo, they are about to release the recording of his most famous sonatas for violin, basso and basso continuo from Op 4. Arparla completed the repertoire for violin and harp by L. Spohr releasing the CD Geliebte Dorette, again a first recording with historical instruments.
Davide likes to speak with his violin, a Guadagnini of the second half of the 18th century.
info@arparla.it
SHORT VERSION
Davide Monti is a violinist who combines his infectious energy with an exceptional talent of being a completely natural performer. As director, soloist, concertmaster and chamber musician his playing has been described as “phenomenal”, with “incredible freshness”, where “all appears extraordinarily spontaneous and organic”. His recordings include Vivaldi's Four Seasons which has been reviewed as “definitely one of the best versions of the decade”.
With degrees from the Conservatory of Parma and Verona, Davide has been leader/soloist with many groups around the world including the European Baroque Orchestra (EUBO), Il Tempio Armonico, Accademia Arcadia Australia, and Ensemble Elyma, Tafelmusik Toronto, Les Voix Humaines Montreal, Camerata Brisbane, Kore in Poland and Arparla with harpist Maria Christina Cleary.
Davide focuses on the art of improvising, where the experience of extemporaneous communication parallels other art-forms such as theatre, dance, fencing and dressage. He considers the score to be a canvas in which each performance is different and vital.
Davide has taught improvisation within historical informed practices in Europe, Canada, Asia and Australia, and he is the Artistic Director of the International School of Improvisation - Helicona project, that teaches musical improvisation within a multidisciplinary perspective, leading to a complex and fascinating system of strategies. Helicona Project has been recently awarded by REMA (European Network for Early Music) as Cross-Border Project of the Year.
Davide, currently teacher of Baroque Violin at Cagliari Conservatory, loves to speak with his violin - a Giuseppe Guadagnini of the second half of the 18th century.