Welcome to our website

Contrasto Armonico is an orchestra/ensemble founded in 2004 by Marta Semkiw and Marco Vitale.
We are emerging as a leading ensemble which is currently involved in the recording of the Complete Cantatas by Handel, a thrilling and ambitious project that aims to bring nearly 100 compositions of Handel which are still little known.

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“I would rather be moderately praised for the new style than greatly praised for the ordinary”

This phrase by Claudio Monteverdi, from a letter written in October 1633, fully describes the philosophy which is behind Contrasto Armonico’s performances. We aim to renovate the early music performance practice, by researching and going through the original sources, trying not to follow the ‘easy fashions’ in vogue nowadays.