CANZONETTE VENEZIANE

16 November 2024, Saturday
Time 19:00
The Palace on the Isle in the Royal Łazienki Museum in Warsaw

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Venice, whose rich and sophisticated musical traditions date back to the Middle Ages, attracted and inspired outstanding artists from all over Europe. One of the most sought-after composers of the 18th century, Johann Adolf Hasse, also could not resist the charm of La Serenissima. He visited it many times, before deciding to settle there for the last decade of his life. Among the works signed with his name – alongside the refined drammi per musica – there are several simple songs written for Venetian gondoliers. These were included in a widely distributed edition by the English publisher John Walsh, who in the 1740s printed them under the catchy title Venetian Ballad’s Compos’d by Sigr. Hasse And all the Celebrated Italian Masters. Today, it is difficult to determine whether the melodies attributed to Hasse were actually written by the Saxon. After all, the composer – as he himself admitted – would have trouble recognizing all of his works due to the sheer volume of pieces he had written. There is no doubt, however, that the amorous verses and beautiful melodies evoke the mysterious atmosphere of Venice’s charming streets, canals, and bridges, which delight visitors to this day.

The concert will also feature purely instrumental works by Baroque masters – Hasse’s predecessor as Kapellmeister of the Saxon court in Dresden, Jan Dismas Zelenka, a lover and promoter of the Polish style, Georg Philipp Telemann, and the incomparable Georg Friedrich Handel.

PROGRAM

J. D. Zelenka – Sinfonia concertante a 8,  ZWV 189

Sinfonia

J. A. Hasse – Venetian Ballads:

Grazie a gl’inganni tuoi
Perdonami o cara
Sento un dolce soffiretto

G. Ph. Telemann – Concerto a 7

Adagio / Allegro / Affettuoso / Allegro

J. A. Hasse – Venetian Ballads:

Amor gia’ che son colto
Se mi t’adoro
Chi non crede

G. F. Haendel – Concerto grosso in G minor, HWV 324

Larghetto e affettuoso / A tempo giusto / Musette / Allegro / Allegro

PERFORMERS

MARTA BOBERSKA SOPRANO 

JUSTYNA STĘPIEŃ SOPRAN0 

THE PERIOD INSTRUMENTS ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA CAPELLA REGIA POLONA

KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA HARPSICHORD, CONDUCTOR


Duration: approx. 1h