Since the early '50s, the pioneering chamber orchestra I Musici has focused on the music of the Italian Baroque but performs a variety of other works. The group set a basic pattern for countless other small Baroque orchestras. The idea of a chamber orchestra devoted to Baroque music was quite new when I Musici was formed, and one without a conductor was newer still, but group members contended successfully that for much of the Italian Baroque, a conductor was not used. The group was championed early on by legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini. The group's recording activities stretch well back into the LP era, playing a major role in popularizing Vivaldi's Four Seasons violin concertos, which it has recorded several times. The group released a new recording of The Four Seasons in 2022, by which time, its catalog comprised some 100 albums.