Vivaldi Meets Bach
Vivaldi meets Bach features music by two of the greatest composers to have written in the baroque style, Antonio Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach. Put on at the St. Paul’s Within the Walls Church in the heart of the Eternal City, this wonderful series of concerts offers tremendous acoustics and a church organ which is ideal for the various renditions of Bach's music composed for that instrument. The programme switches between organ music and a baroque orchestra made up of three violinists plus a cellist, a harpsichord player and a viola player.
This concert series promises a captivating evening of musical entertainment with compositions that are texturally rich and that include vibrant, memorable melodies. The baroque music begins with a rendition of one of Bach's well-known organ pieces in a performance that typically lasts in the region of 10 and 15 minutes depending on the chosen piece which alters from one concert to the next. Toccata et Fuga in D minor, BWV 565, is among the options for the first music on the programme but others that may be played include the great German composer's Passacaglia et Thema fugatum, BWV 582, or Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542, among others. Following this impressive opening, Gavotta I and II as well as the memorable Giga from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068, is played, one of Bach's most impressive compositions.
Following the selection of Bach’s works, Vivaldi meets Bach continues with Le Quattro Stagioni, one of the most famous pieces of music to have ever been written. Better known simply as The Four Seasons in English, this part of the programme is entirely devoted to Vivaldi. It takes about 45 minutes, so the entire event typically lasts between 70 and 75 minutes in total. Born in 1678, Vivaldi wrote this masterpiece of baroque music in the late 1710s. Each of the four concerti that make up this stunning work are divided into three movements, making twelve in total. The Four Seasons starts with Spring and progresses through each season until Winter when it reaches its thrilling finale.
Vivaldi meets Bach is a concert series that encourages audience-goers to focus on the similarities as well as the differences in the compositional styles of the pair of great maestros. The Four Seasons was written just as Bach's professional career in music was being established and it – along with other notable Vivaldi concerti – played a big part in shaping the style of the young German composer at that time. With an ornate and historic setting, each concert is special and likely to linger long in the memory of all who attend.