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The Instrumentalist

For fans of THE MINIATURIST and THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT

Audiobook
0 of 6 copies available
Wait time: About 16 weeks
0 of 6 copies available
Wait time: About 16 weeks
'Enthralling, passionate, vivid. The Instrumentalist is a marvel' KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE
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Anna Maria may have no name, no fortune, no family. But she has her ambition, and her talent.
Her best hope lies in her teacher, Antonio Vivaldi. Soon she is his star pupil.
But as Anna Maria's star rises, not everyone is happy. Because Anna Maria's shining light is threatening to eclipse that of her mentor...
She will leave her mark, whatever it takes. And her story will be heard.
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'Had me spellbound from start to finish' EMMA STONEX
'A story of musical rivalry which will completely capture your imagination' ELODIE HARPER
'I was swept away by this searing portrait of ambition and betrayal' ELIZABETH MACNEAL
'An immersive, impassioned tale full of colour and sound' OBSERVER
'A fascinating story of music, ambition, and womanhood in eighteenth-century Venice' CHARMAINE WILKERSON
'Viscerally transports you to eighteenth-century Venice and revives the lost story of a phenomenal woman' MARIE CLAIRE

**An Observer Debut Novelist of 2024**
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 24, 2024
      Constable’s mellifluous debut draws on the life of composer Anna Maria della Pietà (1696–1782), an orphan who became a violin prodigy at the age of eight and was tutored by Antonio Vivaldi. Raised at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, Anna Maria dreams of becoming the youngest member of the orphanage’s renowned orchestra. She’s learned to play the flute and the oboe, but she finds her calling when she hears the violin. Sure enough, her new teacher, the virtuoso Vivaldi, sees promise in Anna Maria’s playing. When she’s 13, he invites her to collaborate with him. Anna Maria says she’s been thinking about writing a piece about spring, which gives Vivaldi the idea for his Four Seasons concerti. By the time Anna Maria is 17, she chafes at Vivaldi’s insistence on keeping her contributions secret. When she claims she’s destined for greatness as a composer in her own right, Vivaldi belittles her. Anna Maria then leaves the orphanage in a huff, and struggles to survive after pawning a necklace and living in a hovel. Constable richly portrays the city’s opulence and its seedy underside, and she charms in her portrayal of her fiery young protagonist. This will appeal to fans of historicals with strong female leads.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      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 Piet, daughter of a local prostitute, is a violin prodigy who studies under Antonio Vivaldi. Descriptions of the harsh life in the Piet, 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

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

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