Arsilda, regina di Ponto: a vibrant Vivaldi opera

Artists

Concertgebouw

The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam was built as a result of a public campaign aimed at financing a new Philharmonic hall. A grand Neoclassical concert hall topped with a symbolic Apollo´s lyre, it opened in 1888. In the late 20th century the Concertgebouw was renovated in order to improve the acoustics and add more space for visitors. The magnificent organ, after almost a century of service, was also restored and modernised. The Concertgebouw hosts around 600 concerts every year, ranging from big symphonic performances to jazz and pop concerts. Conveniently located at the beautiful Museumplein (Museum Square) with the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum right next to it, everyone will find something to their taste in one of the finest concert halls in the world!

Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Vivaldi went down in history as a creator of the instrumental concert genre and the father of orchestral music. He was born in Venice on the 4th of March 1678. Vivaldi was a weak and sickly child suffering from asthma, however could not stop him from devoting himself completely to music. His father, Giovanni Batista a professional violinist, taught his elder son Antonio to play the violin. With his father young Antonio met the best musicians of Venice of that time and gave concerts in local churches. He also worked as a violin teacher and later as a music director at the orphanage Ospedalle della Pieta. Meanwhile he composed concertos, sacred works and vocal music and in 1713 he achieved great recognition with his sacred choral music. Vivaldi got captivated by the world of opera and worked both as opera composer and impresario at the Teatro San Angelo. In 1717 he obtained a prestigious position by the prince court in Manua as a director of secular music and worked there until around 1720. During that time he composed his world-renowned masterpiece The Four Seasons. In the 1730's his career dwindled as his music became unfashionable and the great composer died in poverty. It took the world two centuries to rediscover and reevaluate Vivaldi’s music, as it was buried into oblivion after his death. In the early 20th century many previously unknown works were found and immediately captured the hearts of the music lovers.