Program – Vivaldi, Arias & concerti
Content:
Setting:
Countertenor, oboe/recorder, 2 violins, viola, cello, theorbo/guitar & traverso/harpsichord
Note: a similar program is also possible with another solo voice type.
Program
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
- Concerto La Notte, RV 439
- Nisi Dominus, RV 608
I. Nisi Dominus, IV. Cum Dederit, V. Sicut Sagittae - Oboe concerto, RV 461
- Andromeda liberate, RV Anh. 117, Sovente il sole (Perseo)
- La Follia, RV 63
- Il Giustino, RV 717, Vedrò con mio diletto
- Concerto Del Gardellino, RV 90
Program text
It goes without saying that the music of Antonio Vivaldi is indestructible. This is true both of his still little-known vocal music and of his popular concertos. In his solo concertos, he lets the instruments (oboe, traverso) shine both in virtuosity (in the fast movements, with their infectious rhythmic ‘schwung’) and in the recitation of lyrical melodies (in the slow middle movement). Some concertos are programmatic: in La notte, peaceful sleep and nightmares are evoked, and in Il gardellino, the goldfinch inspired him to write merry twittering. In the infectious trio sonata La Follia, he gives free rein to his art of variation. With a simple bass line repeated twenty times, two solo parts repeatedly pile up new and fascinating ideas. In the liturgical psalm Nisi Dominus, a solo work for alto and strings, he manages to strike the right tone in each text fragment so that the religious message touches the listener with deeply human emotions. His operas contain delightful gems, such as the aria Sovento il sole from Andromeda liberata, a reflection on the inconstancy of life with a sparkling violin solo. And who can resist the charm of the languorous love song Vedró con mio diletto from Giustino?
Ignace Bossuyt
Translation: Evan Buttar
