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Autumn - Scandal

Donald Macleod explores the autumn of Vivaldi鈥檚 career as scandal threatens to engulf him.

Donald Macleod explores the autumn of Vivaldi鈥檚 career as scandal threatens to engulf him.

As performer, composer, impresario, musical director, and teacher, Antonio Vivaldi was a key figure in the musical life of Baroque Italy. Thanks to his set of Concertos 鈥淭he Four Seasons鈥, he remains one of the most famous and best loved composers today. This week, Donald Macleod puts these four celebrated concertos front and centre as he also explores the four seasons of Vivaldi鈥檚 own life, lingering a little in his summer. We'll follow him from the start of his musical story, teaching at the Ospedale della Piet脿 in Venice, through his time as an opera composer, catering to the crowds who swarmed to Venice during carnival season, to his successes away from Venice. Vivaldi had many highs in his career, however he also had some difficult low points, finding himself embroiled in scandal and accused of immoral behaviour, before dying in poverty in a foreign city 鈥 his star having fallen from favour.

In Thursday鈥檚 episode, Donald finds Vivaldi embroiled in scandal, accused of an inappropriate relationship with his pupil and prot茅g茅, Anna Gir贸, and of living with both her and her sister. These rumours were not the first time he had been treated as a suspicious character, but this time the humiliation of the accusations was also compounded by severe financial implications for the composer.

Dorilla - Sinfonia
Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin
Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello
Georg Kallweit, conductor

Violin Concerto in F major, RV 293 Op.8 no 3 鈥淎utumn鈥
Rachel Podger, violin
Brecon Baroque

Dorilla in Tempe, RV709 鈥 Act II, Scene 8: 鈥淎rsa da rai cocenti鈥
Sonia Prina, contralto (Eudamia)
I Barocchisti
Diego Fasolis, director

Griselda, RV 718 鈥 鈥淗o il cor gia lacero鈥; 鈥淣o, non tanta crudelta鈥; Terzetto 鈥淣on piu regina鈥; 鈥淪on infelice tanto鈥
Marie-Nicole Lemieux, contralto (Griselda)
Stefano Ferrari, tenor (Gualtiero)
Veronica Cangemi, soprano (Constanza)
Ensemble Matheus
Jean-Christophe Spinosi, conductor

Farnace, RV 711 鈥 鈥淔orse, o caro, in questi accenti...鈥
Sara Mingardo, contralto (Tamiri)
Le Concert des Nations
Jordi Savall, conductor

Beatus Vir, RV 795 鈥 II. Gloria et divitiae
Ch艙ur de Chambre de Namur
Les Agr茅mens
Leonardo Garc铆a-Alarc贸n, conductor

59 minutes

Music Played

  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Dorilla in tempe, RV709 (Sinfonia)

    Performer: Jean鈥怗uihen Queyras. Ensemble: Academy for Ancient Music Berlin. Conductor: Georg Kallweit.
    • HARMONIA MUNDI : HMC-902095.
    • HARMONIA MUNDI.
    • 1.
  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Concerto No 3 in F major, Op 8, RV 293, (Autumn) (Four Seasons)

    Performer: Rachel Podger. Ensemble: Brecon Baroque.
    • CCSSA 40318.
    • Channel Classics.
    • 7.
  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Dorilla in tempe, RV709 (Arsa da rai cocenti)

    Singer: Sonia Prina. Ensemble: I Barocchisti. Conductor: Diego Fasolis.
    • Na茂ve : OP 30560.
    • 狈补茂惫别.
    • 6.
  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Griselda, RV718 (excerpts)

    Singer: Marie鈥怤icole Lemieux. Singer: Stefano Ferrari. Singer: Veronica Cangemi. Ensemble: Ensembe Matheus. Conductor: Jean鈥怌hristophe Spinosi.
    • Na茂ve: OP30419.
    • 狈补茂惫别.
    • 22.
  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Farnace, RV711 (Forse, o caro, in questio accenti...)

    Singer: Sara Mingardo. Orchestra: Le Concert des Nations. Director: Jordi Savall.
    • ALIA VOX : AV-9822-A/C.
    • ALIA VOX.
    • 5.

Broadcasts

  • Thu 2 Feb 2023 12:00
  • Thu 30 May 2024 16:00

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