@Lorenz Gemmper

Salon violet

Salon Violet - the name says it all!

Founded in 2020 by baroque violist Francesca Venturi Ferriolo and her fellow musicians, this ensemble specialises in a rather unusual repertoire: chamber music, especially for viola, performed in the homes of the German upper classes around 1800 - the salon music of the time.

In the Berlin salons of Rahel Varnhagen, Sara Levy and other famous society ladies of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, only the latest and finest compositions were performed.

Works by composers such as Carl Philipp Emanuel and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Friedrich Zelter and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy were often premiered here, sometimes before the ink had dried on the manuscript. Wealthy patrons often commissioned pieces from their favourite composers for their soirees, sometimes even helping to bring them to life.

Much of this music is rarely heard today, or has lain dormant in archives for two centuries. It is to this repertoire and its rediscovery that Salon Violet is dedicated.

The members of the ensemble, who have been playing together since their early studies, share a deep interest in this music, and the creation of Salon Violet was a natural development of their frequent collaborations.

Since its inception, Salon Violet has performed at numerous festivals and concert series.

So sit back, close your eyes and imagine yourself on the soft sofas of an 18th century salon with silk wallpaper, the taste of champagne pearls on your tongue, the rustle of opulent gowns - and enjoy the music that was an essential part of the lifestyle of that era!

The Salon Violet ensemble is made up of different instrumentalists depending on the concert programme:

- Francesca Venturi Ferriolo, viola and artistic director

- Antonello Cola, oboe

- Anna Kaiser, Tommaso Toni, violin/ viola

- Johannes Berger, Ena Markert, cello

- Andreas Gilger, harpsichord