Vivaldi Furioso

Friday December 19, 2008, 8:00 pm

Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours

[a] 400, rue Saint-Paul Est — Vieux-Montréal, Québec [métro Champ-de-Mars]
[w] http://www.marguerite-bourgeoys.com/

With Karina Gauvin, soprano — Vocal and instrumental works by Antonio Vivaldi — 9 musicians

Today, as we have become more and more familiar with Vivaldi’s vocal music, we can claim that it is just as good as the great violinist’s instrumental music. The vast body of work for a very diverse range of musical forces that the Red Priest has left us includes cantatas and motets for solo voice accompanied by a few strings. What characterizes these vocal works is a warm, colorful, agile, and expressive virtuosity. Tartini criticized Vivaldi’s vocal writing, saying that “a throat is not the neck of a violin.” Karina Gauvin, with her exceptional voice, will surely prove him wrong…