Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755 - 1824)
Violin Concerto No. 23 / Sinfonie Concertanti

Giovanni Battista Viotti was born in Italy to a blacksmith and amateur horn-player father. At the age of 11, his mother having died, he was 'adopted' by the wealthy Marchesa di Voghera, who provided expert musical training, his teachers having a direct link with Vivaldi and Corelli.

In 1775 Viotti became a member of the Royal Court orchestra in Turin where he stayed until 1783. He then moved to Paris where he enjoyed tremendous success and entered the service of Queen Marie Antoinette. He was instrumental in creating a new opera company, but the fall of the Bastille in 1789 presented problems for anyone with a royal connections, and Viotti hastily moved to London.

He resumed his career as a violinist, and his music was now being performed. Yet he was intent on becoming a wine-merchant had the witch-hunt for French revolutionaries in Lond