Anaïs Chen
Anaïs Chen plays "Passaggio rotto e fantasia" by Nicola Matteis
Nicola Matteis emigrated as a young virtuoso violinist in the 1670s from the area of Naples to London. Roger North, a contemporary essayist, wrote about him: ‘I remember no Italians till Nicola came, and he lay obscurely in the city; by the favour of a merchant whom he had converted to his profit; his circumstances were low, and it was say'd that he travelled thro' Germany on foot with his violin under a full coat at his back. But his pride and arrogance was incomparable, and if he had not found that easy merchant, he had starved before he could have bin known. He was brought to play afore the King and divers great person, in order to be pensioned, but his manner did not take. Sr R. Lestrage, an exquisite violist, Sr Wm Waldgrave, that did wonders upon the archlieute, and Mr Bridgman, that dealt a thro-base upon an harpsichord, found him out to be a superlative genius, But they were forced with all their eloquence to charme him into a complaisance with the English humour, which was to be easy, free, and familiar, and to let gentlemen, not the best hands, have his company in consorts.'
