Vivaldi invites us to a fiesta

Since the rekindling of interest in the composer back in the 50s, each generation has had its own Vivaldi. An ideal interpretation which enhances and defines the musical portrait of the “il prete rosso”. Each different vision professes to be the definitive one. However, if there is something that the multicolour character of Vivaldi does not permit is that there is only one way of understanding his music.

In the mid-90s of the last century, Il Giardino Armonico (The Harmonious Garden) poured all the Mediterranean sun (and rain and wind) into his scores, a corpus which is constantly updated. The group was not the first to “mediterraneanize” this musical universe, but perhaps this historically informed ensemble was the most decisive, to the point of maintaining its name as a reference among the preferred of demanding Vivaldi supporters.

Led by Giovanni Antonini, the group defined an artistically groundbreaking way of understanding the music of the Venetian composer, opening new approaches to the most well-known repertory and renewing the enthusiasm for Vivaldi with less known works. Along this decades long path, there have been numerous kindred spirit collaborations, such as soprano Julia Lezhneva, who will come to the Teatro de la Maestranza. Championed from a very early age by Kiri Te Kanawa, she has the perfect instrument to recreate the aesthetics of Baroque coloratura. A fiesta celebration for the senses.