Music for “alta cappella” in between Florence, Milan, Mantua and Venice

Ensemble Ars Fiorita
Filippo Calandri – Trumpet, Cornetto
Cesare Pierozzi – Shawms, Flutes
Alexander Pavlotzky – Trombone
Loris Guastella – Trombone, Percussions

The concert describes a musical journey spanning the 15th to the 17th centuries, featuring the bold, soaring sounds inspired by wind ensembles known as Pifferi or Piffari. Instrumental groups of this type held significance that went far beyond the clamorous din produced by their shawms, trumpets, trombones, percussion, and other high-volume instruments; their presence is documented in a wide variety of settings—from the battlefield to the royal court, from banquets complete with dancing to processions and religious rites. The common thread linking the selected pieces is found in historical texts that record the existence of these Pifferi ensembles, thereby offering a sonic tour through the various lordships and republics of the Italian Renaissance.

Free admittance