The solemn atmosphere of Christmas was an inexhaustible source of inspiration for composers of the Baroque era. One of the outstanding works intended for this time is Pastorale per il S.S. Natale by Giuseppe Torelli. The sixth of twelve concerti grossi Op. 8 ends with a merry procession of the shepherds who come down from the mountains to welcome the newborn Infant. Their joy is also perfectly portrayed by Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725) in the cantata O di Betlemme crowning the concert program.
The winter aura accompanying Christmas celebrations also captured the imagination of European composers. The second half of the concert will open with LʼInverno, RV 297, from the celebrated cycle of violin concertos Le quattro stagioni. Short, incisive trills vividly imitate the piercing shivers that herald the arrival of winter. In the final passage, the energetic strings evoke gusting winds and the uncertainty of footsteps on slippery, fragile ice. In his secular cantata L’hyver from the series Les quatre saisons (‘The Four Seasons’) from 1724, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755) perfectly depicts both the unsettling snow-white landscapes and frosty gusts of wind, as well as the spirit of joyful celebration.
Marta Dziewanowska-Pachowska
PROGRAM
Giuseppe Torelli – Pastorale per il S.S. Natale
Grave – Vivace – Largo – Vivace
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier – L’Hyver
Charmans Zephirs
L’Hyver porte par tout ses funestes ravages
Les vents brisent leurs chaines
Le ciel, pour nous livrer la guerre
Souverain maitre du toner
Mais au milieu de tant d’allarmes
Quel aimable fête
J’apperçois la Muse tragique
En vain Borée armé de frimas et de glace
Le doux Printemps ranime
— intermission —
Antonio Vivaldi – LʼInverno RV 297
Allegro non molto | Largo | Allegro
Alessandro Scarlatti – O di Betlemme altera povertà venturosa
Introduzione
Recitativo O di Betlemme altera
Aria Dal bel seno d’una stella
Recitativo Presa d’uomo la forma
Aria L’autor d’ogni mio bene
Recitativo Fortunati pastori
Aria Toccò la prima sorte a voi
PERFORMERS
OLGA PASIECZNIK SOPRANO
THE PERIOD INSTRUMENTS ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA CAPELLA REGIA POLONA
KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA HARPSICHORD, CONDUCTOR
Duration: approx. 1 h 10 mins
