Held by the Ears

"The idea works brilliantly, the music is gloriously toe-tapping, and the playing is as accurate as it is zestful. Irresistible."
The Daily Telegraph

"The Palladian Ensemble discovered the work of 18th century Italian composer Nicola Matteis by chance some ten years ago and by their own admission it continues to surprise them.
While some of his music they describe as "tedious doggerel" the quartet have also found moments of "sheer magic", and happily it's the latter that appear on Held By The Ears.
There if undoubtedly a folk flavour to Matteis' work and the ensemble highlight the point by cleverly juxtaposing it with popular Scottish tunes from the same period.
The result is a refreshingly different and sprightly set full of energy and humour, which blows the cobwebs away from the usual presentation of early music."
The Observer.

The Palladian Ensemble is firmly established on the international stage as one of the very best chamber groups performing baroque repertoire. Constant critical acclaim, a reputation for dashing, intelligent musicianship and a warm, spontaneous on-stage manner has led this virtuoso ensemble to give numerous concert and radio appearances worldwide.

Since its tour in 1996 of Europe's most prestigious concert halls, in the 'Rising Stars' concert series, the ensemble has performed at many leading festivals in the UK and Europe, such as Prague Spring Festival, Innsbruck Early Music Festival, and the festivals of Bath, Brighton and Chester in the UK. The ensemble has toured the USA several times, and this year gave its first performance in South America. It appears regularly in London's concert halls and in the schedules of BBC Radio 3.

The ensemble is an Ensemble-in-Residence at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where it performs regularly, as well as fulfilling its teaching commitments.