If you have been to an early music concert in Sydney, chances are you will have seen Matthew Greco bowing away on his 1750 baroque violin.

The performer and teacher was a member of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra since 2006 before moving to the Netherlands to study, and is now leader of Pinchgut Opera’s band, as well as appearing regularly with the Australian Haydn Ensemble and some top European ensembles.

After some of these concerts you may well have been handed a flyer for an upcoming gig by The Muffat Collective – four HIP enthusiasts led by Greco and comprising fellow violinist Rafael Font, cellist and gambist Anton Baba and keyboardist Anthony Abouhamad. Now comes their pearler of a debut album, From Venice to Versailles, on the ABC Classic label. As the title suggests Greco has chosen treasures from the Italian and French repertoire, featuring a beautifully airy performance of Francois Couperin’s Le Parnasse ou L’Apotheose de Corelli as its centrepiece. 

Antonio Vivaldi’s Trio Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 1 No. 7, is given joyful,...