I Giardini
Founded in 2012 under the impetus of its two artistic directors, cellist Pauline Buet and pianist David Violi, I Giardini is a collective of inspired and committed artists from among the most talented of their generation, united around a common sensibility and a shared joy in live performance onstage. Having made a space for free activity and adventurous exploration, I Giardini takes its inspiration from the sheer variety of musical sonorities, and the capacity of its team of artists to reveal a unique Romantic universe of living performance. It prizes above all a sense of musical rigour, combined with a permanent openness to other points of view and forms of expression. At the heart of their approach isthe joint programming of composers of fame and influence alongside those still waiting to be discovered – e.g. Fauré with Chausson, Mélanie Bonis and Fernand de La Tombelle, Schumann with Philippe Hersant.

I Giardini’s empathy with the music of today led the ensemble in 2021 to commission ‘The Wheel’ from contemporary American composer Caroline Shaw, supported by Music Strasbourg, Montepellier Opera, Lieu Unique Nantes, Musique Rive Gauche Paris, and Face Foundation New York. Since its formation I Giardini has appeared at the principal concert venues in France (the Musée d’Orsay, Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Arsenal de Metz, TAP Poitiers, Opéra de Lille, Fondation Royaumont, Variations Classiques Annecy), as well as internationally.

Their last recording project for Alpha Classics with soprano Véronique Gens was nominated at the Victoires de La Musiques 2021 and awarded the Diapason d’Or 2020. The Mécénat Musical Société Générale and La Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations are I Giardini’s major sponsors.