Christmas Concert at La Madeleine Church: Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Artists

Eglise de la Madeleine

The Eglise de la Madeleine is a 19th-century Roman Catholic church that commands all eyes in its lovely location between the Place de la Concorde and the Palais Garnier in Paris. The construction process stretched over 80 years, as the building's plans - and those funding it - underwent many changes. Initially intended as Napoleon's tribute to his victorious army, the Neo-Classical style, echoing that of an Ancient Roman temple, retains the immense standing columns of earlier churches on the site. Inside the Eglise de la Madeleine, one can admire beautiful Neo-Byzantine mosaics, paintings and sculptures. The Neo-Classical architecture and impressive internal decorations create a perfect atmosphere for the classical concerts that take place in the church throughout the year. A magnificent pipe organ, considered to be one of the most impressive instruments in Paris in terms of its tonal beauty, plays its own part in the La Madeleine's musical life.

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.

Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni was an Italian Baroque composer of the early 18th century. He is well known as one of the greatest composers of instrumental music, especially known for his concertos. "Adagio in G minor" was supposedly written by him. His fascinating instrumental music attracted attention from different figures of the Classical scene, such as Johann Sebastian Bach who wrote at least two fugues on Albinoni's themes.

Johann Pachelbel

Johann Pachelbel was a German composer and organist of the late 17th century. He is well know for bringing the South German organ at its peak. In fact, he was considered one of the greatest composer of the middle Baroque era for his sacred, secular, chorale and fugue music. Today, he is best known for the Canon in D, as well as the Chaconne in F minor and the Toccata in E minor for organ. Furthermore, his music can be defined as uncomplicated, lucid, that explores many variations of form and techniques as well as instrumental combinations.