The fourth edition of the “De tasto et De Chorda” festival, conceived and directed by Antonio Florio, will start from Friday 3 March to Thursday 13 April.
For the fourth edition, a comparison of two peaks of eighteenth-century European music: Georg Friedrick Händel and Luigi Boccherini.
From Friday 3 March at 20.30:4 pm at the Basilica del Gesù Vecchio in Naples with the concert Concerti per organo, op. 2 Transcription for two organs by Carlo Maria Barile, Angelo Trancone, the fourth edition of the “De tasto et De Chorda” review, conceived and directed by Antonio Florio with the Associazione Cappella Neapolitana, is underway. Also this year for the Neapolitan public rare and precious concerts, pearls of ancient music in performances based on performance practice and historical instruments, in particular keyboards and plucked string or bowed instruments. For the fourth edition, a comparison of XNUMX peaks of eighteenth-century European music: Georg Friedrick Händel and Luigi Boccherini.
Four events from Friday 3 March to Thursday 13 April that will be divided between the Basilica del Gesù Vecchio and the Domus Ars. An interesting focus on the sound universe of two great composers and a comparison - meeting between the German - English and Italian - Spanish musical XNUMXth century. Händel, a composer with great virtuosic talent as an organist and improviser, and Boccherini, an author and singular cello virtuoso.
The first two events are dedicated to Handel. Two concerts dedicated to Boccherini will follow.
Sunday 5 March at 20.30 pm again at the Basilica del Gesù Vecchio in Naples, again Handel with Marco Piantoni, violin, Carlo Maria Barile, organ.
Op. IV remains the most authentic and interesting collection of the three and appropriately the two performers of the first concert of the series, on March 3, thought of transcribing the parts for different orchestral instruments for a second organ, restoring the original, strongly improvised spirit of these virtuosic pages.
The four concerts of 1738 can be compared, in the following concert of March 5, with pages for solo violin and organ of different origins: the two Sonatas in A major no. 3 and no. 14 of Op. I (1732), with the intermezzo for solo organ consisting of the aria with variations known as “Il fabbro armonioso” from the Suite no. 5 in E major that close the suite in E major (from the volume of suites for keyboard published in 1720). A joyful immersion in the most audacious and surprising instrumental production of the great opera composer sought after by many nations.
Info and contacts: www.cappellaneapolitana.it | info@cappellaneapolitana.it
Free admission subject to availability
Naples March 3, 2023
Basilica of the Old Jesus 20.30pm
Organ Concertos, op. 4
Carlo Maria Barile, Angelo Trancone, organs
Naples March 5, 2023
Basilica of the Old Jesus at 20:30 pm
Georg Friedrich Handel (1685 – 1759)
Marco Piantoni, violin Carlo Maria Barile, organ
Naples March 23, 2023 Domus ARS 20.30:XNUMX p.m.
Luigi Boccherini (1743 – 1805)
Duets for two violins
Patrizio Focardi, Massimo Percivaldi, violins
Naples 13 April 2023 Domus ARS 20.30pm
Luigi Boccherini (1743 – 1805)
Trios for 2 violins and cello
Marco Rozza, Dario Patti, violins Chiara Mallozzi, cello
"The entire 18th century is explored, from 1706, when the thirty-year-old German Georg Friedrich Handel arrived in Italy—the first fundamental step in a career that would lead him to become the greatest opera composer of his time—to the death in Spain in 1805 of the Italian Luigi Boccherini, one of the greatest figures in instrumental music of the second half of the 18th century. Their careers could not have intersected for chronological reasons (Boccherini was 16 when Handel died in London, but had already been playing with his father in the orchestra of the Imperial Theatre in Vienna for two years). Yet, examined together, they testify to the extraordinary dynamism of music of the Age of Enlightenment, made up of constant travel and multiple confluences of experiences between different nations and traditions." explains musicologist Dinko Fabris.
“Eleven years after receiving English citizenship, for his long and industrious stay in London from 1711 as the nation's greatest opera composer and impresario, Handel published in 1738 his collection of Six Concertos for the Harpsichord and Organ op.4 with the London publisher Walsh. It was the result of an ingenious stratagem devised by the composer to entertain and retain the audience during the performance of his oratorios. The success of the edition was such that Walsh published the following year a new collection (Second set) of six more keyboard Concertos, four of which were actually reductions taken from the already published Concertos grossi op. VI: this has led to the belief that it was a speculation on the part of the publisher without the composer's involvement. Finally, after Handel's death, a collection of six more Concertos appeared with opus number VII, assembled from various sources by his faithful pupil and copyist Johan Christopher Smith.
Like the young Handel, Boccherini also traveled extensively throughout Europe and published his first work in Paris, shortly before moving to Spain, where he spent the remaining almost forty years of his life from 1768. From his Iberian retreat, Boccherini managed to maintain artistic relationships with the great musicians of his time, such as Haydn, and to have dozens of collections of his compositions published for the most diverse chamber music ensembles. As the monumental mass of contemporary musical editions and reprints demonstrate, Boccherini's production of instrumental chamber music certainly constituted greatest hits for performers throughout Europe and has never ceased to enthral musicians and audiences ever since.” Dinko Fabris
