VIVALDI ORCHESTRA PRAGA

VivaldiŽs music was very popular here during his lifetime. Between 1726 and 1736 six of VivaldiŽs operas, two of which were premieres, were performed in Count SporckŽs theatre in Prague. Since, at the time, Vivaldi was already famous across Europe and travelled specially to new performance of his works, it is believed that he lived for an extended period in Prague.

The operas were staged by A. DenzioŽs operatic company from Venice, for whom Vivaldi hired singers in Italy and organized the new operatic works. Many unique manuscripts of his works are preserved in Czech archives. Some were written directly at the request of Czech noblemen, e.g. the lute compositions for Count Vrtba. VivaldiŽs most famous work "Il cimento dellŽ armonia e dellŽ inventione, Antonio Vivaldi himself directed MorzinŽs ensemble during their concerts in Italy.

Vivaldi Orchestra Praga, led by the Czech baroque specialist and violinist Václav Návrat, wants to join with this tradition of outstanding ensembles and bring new content to the rather inflexible understanding of museum authenticity. This is not a slavish copying of old forms in the old ways, but a discovery of the symbolism of the baroque period in all its breadth: the joining of its richness of sound with visual imagery and the creation of an environment in which the illusion of the dreaming of past beauties can be created.