THE INSTRUMENTALIST

Narrator Emilia Clarke uses a soft voice and a crisp British accent interspersed with fluid Italian phrases for this story of music in early- eighteenth-century Venice. Venetian orphan Anna Maria della Pietà, daughter of a local prostitute, is a violin prodigy who studies under Antonio Vivaldi. Descriptions of the harsh life in the Pietà, an orphanage for the children of prostitutes, are interspersed with descriptions of musical notes that are full of color and strong emotion. In a vibrant voice Clarke describes the rigorous life the orphans endure and the ceaseless practice and pressure imposed on Anna Maria to perform her music flawlessly. Based on the real-life Anna Marie, who is considered Vivaldi's muse, this story will haunt listeners long after it's finished. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2024]