Interpreti Veneziani: The Four Seasons in Venice

Artists

Chiesa di San Vidal

San Vidal (San Vitale) is a Venetian concert and event hall located in the Sestiere of San Marco, at one end of Campo Santo Stefano. Established at the end of the 11th Century by Doge Vitale Falier in honor of his namesake saint, the building burned down and was replaced in the 16th Century. Further renovations were needed in the 17th Century, and were completed in the style of the period. The interior hall has a vaulted ceiling, paintings by Pellegrini and Piazzetta dating back to the 17th century, and a detailed presbytery by Vittore Carpaccio. The altar piece depicts San Vidal on Horseback with Eight Saints, watched overfrom above by the Virgin with the Christ Child. The composer Baldassare Galuppi was buried here, although his funeral was held in a nearby church called Santo Stefano, and no gravestone can be found in the hall.

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.