Le Poème Harmonique

Eva Zaïcik, mezzo-soprano | Serge Goubioud and Martial Pauliat, tenors | Virgile Ancely, baritone | Caroline Arnaud, soprano

Vincent Dumestre, conductor

PROGRAMME

Anonymous: Nisi Dominus / Francesco Soto: Giesù diletto sposo / Serafino Razzi: Libro primo delle Laudi spirituali: "O Vergine Santa" / Pietro Antonio Locatelli: Funeral Symphony in F minor / Antonio Vivaldi: Invicti Bellate / Serafino Razzi: O dolcezza / Antonio Vivaldi: Sinfonia al Santo Sepolcro / Nisi Dominus

In Vivaldi's time, Venice was famous for its magnificent processions. At every important festivity, Venetians took to the streets to parade under the banners of their brotherhoods to the sound of lutes. These popular devotional songs, sung in chorus to the beat of a drum, gave rhythm to the processions to the church doors. Emotion gave way to contemplation as the singers intoned half-improvised polyphonies from times past, and also compositions in accord with the tastes of the time, illustrating the baroque art of bel canto. This is also the route taken by this programme, crowned by Vivaldi's wonderful Nisi Dominus.