In their first recording for PASSACAILLE, Real Camara revives the spirit of the excellent Portuguese court orchestra before the great earthquake of 1755, bringing to life a forgotten repertoire once written for performance at the magnificent court of King John V in Lisbon

From the divertimenti of Pietro Giorgio Avondano, the Genovese concertmaster of the orchestra, to opera arias by the Portuguese composer Francisco Antonio de Almeida and the Italian composers Rinaldo di Capua and Giovanni Bononcini.

The new Real Camara emerges from the desire to create an orchestral project of excellence dedicated to the recovery and dissemination of Portuguese musical heritage from the 18th and 19th centuries. Rooted in historical performance practice, it intends to rescue the spirit of the Portuguese court orchestra of the 1700s, the original Real Camara, both through its surviving collection of repertoire as well as through the evocation of its cosmopolitan nature and wide musical scope.

Based in Lisbon and under the direction of Enrico Onofri, it reaffirms the long musical relationship between its founding members and the Italian violinist and conductor, bringing together an international and eclectic group of musicians specialising in Early Music.