Baroque and Early Classical periods instrumental music still had to compete with vibrant operatic traditions well into the 20th century. The Cameristi della Scala, founded decades ago by members of the orchestra of La Scala Theatre – a temple of opera in the centre of Milan – is proof that a passion for music of various genres has a unifying power. The artists, along with conductor Ernesto Hoetzl and the versatile Italian mezzo-soprano Daniela Pini, will present works by early composers associated with Venice, a city steeped in myth – the city of Willaert, the Gabrielis, Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Rossini, and Stravinsky.

The evening will open with one of Baldassare Galuppi’s instrumental concertos. The work of the Italian, born in 1706, was highly regarded in his era. His operas reached Poland during the reign of Stanisław August Poniatowski. Afterwards, he fell into oblivion for a long time. His seven Concerti a quattro, preserved in a manuscript from around 1740, are living proof of the need to restore Galuppi’s legacy to the repertoire. The next artist, Nicola Porpora, was born in southern Italy – in Naples. His name is associated with a group of composers writing operas there – the so-called Neapolitan School. He arrived in the capital of La Serenissima and presented his works there, too. His Semiramide riconosciuta premiered on the Grand Canal. The aria In braccio a mille furie, which we will hear at the end of the concert, was performed by Farinelli.

The creation of the serenata Andromeda liberata is linked to the return to Venice in 1726 of Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, a renowned music lover born there. This work is most likely a collaborative work by several leading Venetian composers. Perseus’s aria Sovente il sole was composed by Antonio Vivaldi. The artist met the cardinal during an earlier stay in Rome. The motet In furore iustissimae irae also derived from this brilliant composer’s visit to the Eternal City. The titular aria, which opens the work, portrays God’s wrath upon the sinner. The musical solutions employed evoke associations with Vivaldi’s Winter. The evening will also feature instrumental concertos, for which Vivaldi is best known, and which represent the most impressive pieces of his oeuvre. These include the famous Four Seasons. The Cameristi della Scala will prove that these are by no means the only works of the Venetian genius in this genre worthy of interest and close attention. The artists’ return to the NFM three years after their visit in 2022 promises to be excellent.