The “Festa Barocca” early music event starts in Florence on Sept. 30th with Modo Antiquo orchestra, Opera Polifonica choir and Renaissance dancing by Il Teatro della Memoria
Organized by Modo Antiquo with the support of the Municipality of Florence and hosted by the historical Palazzo Vecchio from September 30th to October 7th, “Festa barocca” will feature several unique early music events.
The first day is devoted to the music composed in 1589, on the occasion of the wedding between Ferdinando I de’ Medici and Christina of Lorraine, for the famous Intermedii (intermissions) to the comedy La Pellegrina. At 6.30 PM Antonio Natali, Director of the Galleria degli Uffizi, and Piero Gargiulo, teacher at the local Conservatory of music, will illustrate painting and musical performance in Florence around 1589. At 9.15 PM in the magnificent Sala dei Cinquecento Federico Maria Sardelli will conduct a concert of music from the Intermedii, leading an ensemble of 20+ replicas of period instruments. The ensemble features, besides a string section with gambas, lutes, theorbos and harp, a full wind section with flutes, cornett, trombones, shawm and curtal (the Renaissance bassoon), bringing to modern life the rich sonorities that characterized music and dance performances at the Medicean Court, similar to those that were presented at the French Court in the same years. The theme from the final chorus by Emilio de’ Cavalieri “O che nuovo miracolo” became at the time a hit tune under the titles Ballo del Granduca or Aria di Fiorenza and appeared in innumerable printed collections of the XVI and XVII Centuries.
The rich cast includes solo singers Gemma Bertagnolli, Elena Cecchi Fedi, Gabriella Martellacci, Paolo Fanciullacci, Marco Scavazza, Antonio Abete and the Opera Polifonica choir directed by Raffaele Puccianti. The early dance company Il Teatro della Memoria directed by Claudia Celi has been entrusted with the task of evoking the climate of a feast through the interpretation of several dances of the period.
On October 3rd a concert by B.L.U. Ensemble will be devoted to chamber music of the Italian Seicento. The final day (october 7th) will feature compositions by Antonio Vivaldi recently discovered that will be presented in their first modern performance by Maestro Sardelli conducting the Orchestra Barocca Modo Antiquo. The concert (at 9.15 PM in the Sala dei Cinquecento) will be preceded (at 6.00 PM in the Sala degli Elementi) by a conference by Francesco Fanna e Alessandro Borin.
The entrance to all concerts is free. It’s necessary to book in advance by e-mail to asscult@comune.fi.it or by phone to (+39) 055-2768042).
Press communiqué: http://press.comune.fi.it/templates/press.comune.fi.it/img_virtual_cm/8/cm_obj_26038.pdf?&tit=Programma+Festa+Barocca
Info: http://www.modoantiquo.com/site/index.php?toc=1849&page=Nuove
Info about Palazzo Vecchio http://www.museicivicifiorentini.it/palazzovecchio/