Viaggio a Venezia
The Virtuosi delle Muse under Stefano Molardi have devoted their new recording for DIVOX ANTIQUA, their second, to several contemporaries of Antonio Vivaldi and to works whose origins lie in Venice. In the early 18th century, Venice became the musical crossroads of Europe for a great number of composers. Later, a new generation of musicians entered the Venetian musical world and brought about many innovations such as the "Ospedali," which left an indelible mark on Venice's musical scene, promoted young talents, and drew many musicians from all over Europe to the Serenissima, including George Frideric Handel, Johann Adolf Hasse and Francesco Gasparini.
The main figures on this CD are George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) and Nicola Porpora (1686-1768). Both lived and worked in Venice at different times of their lives, and both were sought-after composers in London. Porpora, however, later fell into oblivion after the Neapolitan opera went out of fashion in the late 18th century. Even if Porpora's instrumental works represent only a small percentage of his overall output, the originality of his works was highly esteemed in his day, and the Virtuosi delle Muse succeed in giving voice to the beauty and songfulness of his works. Francesco Gasparini (1668-1727) began his career in Rome before going on to the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice. Antonio Caldara (1670-1736), a native of Venice, was a singer and instrumentalist at San Marco before transferring to Mantua and, later, Vienna. Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739) and Tommaso Albinoni (1671-1750) were members of the Venetian nobility who lived and composed in Venice.
This CD features the following works, including some first-ever recordings (*):
- F. Handel: Sinfonia in B flat major; Aria in C minor HWV 355; from the Suite in B flat major HWV 354: Menuet, Sarabande, Gavotte T. Albinoni: Sinfonia in G minor; Concerto a 5 in G major op. IV no. 5 N. Porpora: From the Sinfonie da camera a tre instromenti op. II A. Caldara: Introduzione from the Passione di Gesù Cristo Signor Nostro B. Marcello: Sinfonia in G major from Il Piano e il Riso delle Quattro Stagioni F. Gasparini: Overture from the Opera "L'Oracolo del Fato" * J. A. Hasse: Overture N. Porpora: From the Sinfonie da camera a tre instromenti op. II: Concerto I in G major
An instrumental peculiarity of this CD lies in the use of a tenor viola, which was commonly played in the 17th century, but later came out of use.