Synopsis
The 18th century Italian “serenata” was originally a dramatic cantata performed outdoors by torchlight beneath a “ciel sereno,” or clear sky — hence the term “serenata.” These were pieces for festive occasions when no expense was spared.
On today’s date in 1725, the French ambassador in Venice commissioned a serenata to celebrate the wedding of Louis XV to a Polish princess. The royal wedding took place in France, but that’s no reason not to celebrate in Venice, or so thought the ambassador, and as an international good will gesture, why not commission a popular local composer like Antonio Vivaldi to write the music? The French embassy in Venice had a big garden overlooking the lagoon, and Vivaldi’s serenata attracted, as the ambassador reported, “an infinite number of gondolas, so many that the sea itself was hidden from the view of those who looked upon it.”
Vivaldi’s serenata was a dialogue between the allegorical figures of Greek mythology, Glory and Hymen, the Greek god of marriage. It was performed once in 1725, never published, and survives as a manuscript score in a library in Turin. This music can be heard 300 years later courtesy of Volume 73 of the ongoing Vivaldi CD Edition from Italy devoted to–what is for us–new music by an old master.
Music Played in Today's Program
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): Aria (“Alle Armene, Franche Arene”) from La Gloria e Imeneo; RV 687; Teresa Iervolino, mezzo-soprano; Abchordis Ensemble, Andrea Buccarella, conductor; Vivaldi Edition CD OP-8877 (Vol. 73)
On This Day
Births
1825 - Austrian flautist and conductor Karl Doppler, in Lwow
1901 - German composer Ernst Pepping, in Duisburg
1906 - Soviet composer Dimitri Shostakovich, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Sept. 25)
1939 - American composer Phillip Ramey, in Chicago
Deaths
1764 - French composer Jean Philippe Rameau, 80, in Paris
Premieres
1910 - Mahler: Symphony No. 8 (Symphony of a Thousand) in Munich, with the composer conducting
1932 - Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasilieras No. 1, in Rio de Janerio
1937 - Milhaud: Suite Provençale in Venice, conducted by the composer
1954 - Bernstein: Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium) at Teatro La Fenice in Venice, with composer conducting and Isaac Stern the violin soloist
1967 - Kokonen: Symphony No. 3, in Helsinki
1969 - Henri Lazarof: Cello Concerto, in Oslo, Norway
Others
1840 - Marriage of Robert Schumann, 30, to Clara Wieck, on the day before her 21st birthday
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About Composers Datebook®
Host John Birge presents a daily snapshot of composers past and present, with timely information, intriguing musical events and appropriate, accessible music related to each.
He has been hosting, producing and performing classical music for more than 25 years. Since 1997, he has been hosting on Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music Service. He played French horn for the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra and performed with them on their centennial tour of Europe in 1995. He was trained at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy.