Handel and Haydn Society to Present VIVALDI VIRTUOSI, 4/5 & 7

Handel-and-Haydn-Society-Presents-Vivaldi-Virtuosi-20010101

Handel and Haydn Society presents Vivaldi Virtuosi, led by Ian Watson on Friday, April 5, 2013 at 8pm and Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 3pm at NEC's Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston, Mass.

PROGRAM

VIVALDI: Sinfonia, Il coro delle Muse
LOCATELLI: Introduzione in D Major, Op. 4, No. 5
AVISON: Concerto Grosso No. 6 in D Major after Scarlatti
GEMINIANI: Concerto grosso detto La follia
VIVALDI: Concerto for Two Cellos in G Minor, RV 531
TORELLI: Sinfonia for two violins and cello
DURANTE: Concerto a cinque in A Major
VIVALDI: Concerto in B Minor for four violins

Ian Watson, Director and Harpsichord
Period Instrument Orchestra

Harpsichordist Ian Watson returns to the front of the stage to lead a dynamic program of Vivaldi and other Baroque luminaries. Watson and Handel and Haydn's principal players take the spotlight with works by Antonio Vivaldi as well as other composers had a strong connection to Italy.

The Handel and Haydn Society professional Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus is comprised of a roster of talented performers and leaders in the field of Historically Informed Performance. The musicians perform and record internationally as well as teach both privately and at universities. Part of H&H's mission is to bring to life the finest music of the Baroque and Classical eras, and solo and chamber works like those on this program allow the ensemble to shine spotlight on the vast array of talent in its ranks.

Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Cellos in G Minor features H&H principal cello Guy Fishman, a member of the orchestra since the 2002-2003 Season, and Sarah Freiberg, who has performed with H&H since the 2001-2002 Season. His Concerto in B Minor for four violins showcases H&H's talented violinists, Concermaster Asslinn Nosky, appointed Concertmaster in 2011; Susanna Ogata, who is in her tenth season with H&H; Abigail Karr, a member of the ensemble since the 2004-2005 Season; and principal second violinist Christina Day Martinson, also in her tenth season with H&H. The program is rounded out with compositions by Locatelli, Avison, Geminiani, Torelli, and Durante.

Pietro Locatelli was born in Italy but later moved to Amsterdam; Charles Avison never lived in Italy but based his twelve concerto grossi on music by the Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti; Francesco Geminiani was born in Italy but spent much of his later life in London and taught composition to Charles Avison; Torelli was Italian but became Maestro di concerto at the court of the Margrave of Brandenburg in Germany;l and Francesco Durante was Neapolitan and spent time in Austria. Their output had a profound influence on many other great composers, not least Bach, Handel and Mozart, all of whom are represented in the Handel and Haydn Society's 2012-2013 Season. In the 17th and 18th centuries, many of Italy's greatest composers were in prominent positions throughout Europe, resulting in widespread appreciation of Italian musical style. Vivaldi Virtuosi is a musical sampler of pieces written by expatriate Italians, both well-known and less familiar, who composed both at home in Italy and abroad in the capitals and artistic centers of Europe.

"No country has been more influential in the the development of art and music than Italy. Its contribution in many fields - sculpture, painting, instrument-making, string-playing, vocal technique, and opera - are unsurpassed," commented Watson. "The Vivaldi Virtuosi program was inspired by the The Italian Masters of the 17th and 18th centuries who left an indelible mark on all forms of music, both in their own time and for centuries after. I am eager to share with our audiences this roller-coaster European tour with it's common thread of Italian inventive genius!"

ASSOCIATED EVENTS:
Pre-Concert Conversation
Friday, April 5, 2013 at 7pm
Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 2pm
Conversations will take place in the concert hall
Free with concert tickets

Musicologist Teresa Neff gives an illuminating look inside the music and historical context of the program.

Subscriptions and single tickets may be purchased through the Handel and Haydn (H&H) Box Office by phone at 617 266 3605, online at handelandhaydn.org, or in person at the Handel and Haydn Society office, Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston (M-F, 10am-6pm). Single tickets range from $20 to $78. Student rush is available starting 90 minutes before the performance: $15 cash only with valid ID, best available seats subject to availability. Groups of 10 or more receive a 20 percent discount.

Ian Watson has been playing with the Handel and Haydn Society since 2008, and last led the ensemble in Bach's Brandenburgs in January of 2011. Watson has appeared as soloist or conductor with the London Symphony, London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, BBC and London Concert Orchestras, City of London Sinfonia, Scottish Chamber, English Chamber, Polish Chamber, Irish Chamber and Stuttgart Chamber Orchestras, Bremen Philharmonic, Rhein-Main Symphony Orchestra, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Handel and Haydn Society, Bach Society, Houston, English Baroque Soloists, and The Sixteen amongst others. He has been featured on more than 200 recordings and film soundtracks including Amadeus, Polanski's Death and the Maiden, Restoration, Cry the Beloved Country, Voices from a Locked Room, and BBC's David Copperfield.

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