Vivaldi's Four Seasons Meets Bach's Masterpieces Vivaldi's Four Seasons Meets Bach's Masterpieces
Rome, Chiesa di S. Paolo entro le Mura — Sala 1
About the Event
Join us on a journey back to the 18th century… The “Opera in Roma” Baroque Orchestra and internationally renowned soloists create a special atmosphere in the St. Paul Within the Walls Church. Principally the choice of works gives an impression of an authentic concert of the baroque era! The program of the concerts includes, after the Bach masterpieces , the work of the famous concerto for solo violin 'The Four Seasons' by Antonio Vivaldi, which is full of musical onomatopoeia that sweep you through the seasons. Dream your way through a year of flowering meadows, merciless summer sun, bountiful harvests, and slippery ice. Enjoy the “Opera in Roma” Baroque Orchestra!
Program
Johann Sebastian Bach's Organ MasterpiecesOne piece selected from the following repertoire.
Approx. duration 10 — 15 minutes
Toccata, Adagio et Fuga in C Major BWV 564
Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565
Prelude and Fugue in D Major BWV 532
Prelude and Fugue in Eb Major BWV 552
Fantasia and Fugue in g minor BWV 542
Prelude and Fugue in b minor BWV 544
Passacaglia et Thema fugatum BWV 582
Johann Sebastian Bach
Aria — Gavotta I and II — Giga from Orchestral Suite 3 in D Major BWV 1068.
Approx. duration 15 minutes
Antonio Vivaldi
The Four Seasons. Approx duration 45'
Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269, 'Spring' (La primavera)
Allegro Largo e pianissimo sempre
Allegro pastorale (in E major)
Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, 'Summer' (L'estate)
Allegro non molto
Adagio e piano – Presto e forte Presto
Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293, 'Autumn' (L'autunno)
Allegro
Adagio molto
Allegro
Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, 'Winter' (L'inverno)
Allegro non molto
Largo
Allegro
Practical Information
For reduced categories, it is mandatory to show a valid ID document at the box office.
Cast / Production
Ensemble:
Violin Soloist: Francesco Malatesta/ Soichi Ichigawa
1° Violin: Roberta Palmigiani/Fausta Sparasci
2° Violin: Valentina Macioti/Francesco Malatesta
Cello: Enrico Peluso/Flavio Malatesta
Viola: Orazio Vicari/Alessandra Monacelli
Cymbal & Organ : Stefano Vasselli
Chiesa di S. Paolo entro le Mura
The 'Church of St. Paul within the Walls' was the first non-Catholic church built in Rome after Italy's unification. The church was built between 1873 and 1880 as an Anglican Basilica in the district of Castro Pretorio, Via Nazionale, Rome. Constructed in the Gothic Revival style, the distinctive external facade is characterised by alternating red and limestone bricks. Four spectacular mosaics by the English pre-Raphaelite Edward Burne-Jones, in collaboration with William Morris, are the crowning glory of the church's interior. The eagle-eyed will spot several famous nineteenth-century figures among those representing the fathers of the church in the elaborate mosaics, among them the artist himself, notable donors and their families, and Abraham Lincoln, Giuseppe Garibaldi and General Grant among the 'Christian Warriors'. Many delightful classical events are hosted in this location, including performances of popular operas like La Traviata.
Johann Sebastian Bach
The name Bach and the word musician had long been synonyms in Germany as the world saw 56 musicians from this kin. But it was Johann Sebastian Bach, a genius composer and virtuoso organ player, who shed lustre on his family name. He was born on th 31st of March 1685 in Eisenach, a small town in Thuringia. At the age of 10 he became an orphan and was brought up by his elder brother Johann Christoph, who was an organist in a neighbouring town. His brother was the one to teach music to the young Johann Sebastian. Later he moved to Luneburg where he attended a church school and mastered the techniques of playing violin, viola, piano and organ by the age of 17. Besides that, Bach was a choir singer and later after his voice broke he became a chanter’s assistant. In 1703 Bach was hired as a court musician in the chapel of Duke Johann Ernst III. He earned such a good reputation there that he was later invited to Arnstadt to be an organist at the New Church, where he wrote his best organ works. In 1723 he moved to Leipzig to be a chantor at St. Thomas Church where he stayed until his death of a stroke in 1750. In the year of his death he had undergone unsuccessful eye surgery which lead him to lose his eyesight. During that strenuous time his second wife Anna Magdalena helped him to write his last musical pieces. Bach’s artistic legacy is vast. He created compositions in all genres of the time: oratorias, cantatas, masses, motets, music for organ, piano and violin.
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.
Customer Reviews
4.3 of 5
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Harlow V, USA
May 2025
Wonderful!
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MIRELA V, Romania
Apr 2025
Lovely experience, great performance
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MARCOS A, Brazil
Jul 2024
Nice performance!
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Konstantinos V, Greece
Mar 2024
We had a great evening. The the selected pieces were very well performed and the church was also very nice.
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Maria Rosaria T, Italia
Mar 2024
Un'interpretazione favolosa, coinvolgente. Tutti i componenti sono stati bravissimi, un plauso particolare al pianista e soprattutto al primo violino. Esperienza da ripetere.
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Aug 2022
Excelent performance 👏👏👏
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Lucile A, Suisse
Mar 2019
Splendid !!!
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Dominique C, Belgique
Mar 2019
Tres belle soirée
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Cristian C, Italia
Dec 2018
Esperienza sublime, ho rivissuto i capolavori di bach al meglio, estasiato dalla bravura lirica di lady mariangela. Vivaldi rappresentato al meglio, la mia signora si è commossa non riuscendo a mantenere l'emozione. In fine, le pennette all'arrabbiata hanno rappresentato al meglio la tradizione romana, esaltando il nostro palato. Grazie per l'esperienza.
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Heiko R, Italien
Oct 2018
Die Abwicklung hat reibungslos funktioniert. Ich kann Classictic nur empfehlen. Danke.
Address
Chiesa di S. Paolo entro le Mura, Via Nazionale 16a, Rome, Italy — Google Maps
