Highly Appreciated

Music by Vivaldi in the churches of Rome,
enjoyed by GIUSEPPE PENNISI

For the next few months, 'the red priest' Antonio Vivaldi will travel through the churches of Rome. The journey started on 21 December 2012 in the Baroque Church of Santa Maria in Montesano in the Piazza del Popolo (colloquially named the 'Church of the Artists'), and will end on 31 May 2013 in San Roberto Bellarmino, a huge twentieth century piece of architecture in the affluent Parioli district. It will also have a stop in outlying areas of the Italian capital, eg San Giovani Bosco near the Cinecittà movie studios. Of course, it will not miss the only Romanic Church in Rome: Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. The journey is part of a broader program jointly conceived by the Rome Bishopric, the Pontificial Council for Culture of the Vatican State and the Rome Opera House (Teatro dell'Opera). The program also includes plays, a medieval Sacred Representation, the world premiere of a new version (in Esperanto) of Tosca and will end on 27 June 2013 with a fully-staged performance of Benjamin Britten's Curlew River conducted by James Conlon (with Mario Martone's stage direction) in Santa Maria dell'Ara Coeli.

Those who plan to visit Rome during the next few months ought to keep their eyes and ears open and get the precise schedule from the website of the Teatro dell'Opera (www.operaroma.it) and of the Rome Bishopric press office (www.ucsroma.it) . These are not ordinary church concerts, often performed by well meaning semi-professionals, but important performances by well-known artists. In addition, the entrance is free. The program has a dual purpose: a) for Rome's Opera House, it is an important way to reach out to new audiences; b) for the Rome Bishopric, it is a means to bring high quality music into churches all over the vast metropolitan area.

This is the second year in which a program of this nature has been conceived and implemented. 2012/13 includes many more performances than in 2011/12,. and has an added feature: whereas in 2011/12, the content of church concerts changed from location to location due to artists' availability and other considerations, this year the Vivaldi concert will be seen and heard in five Churches, with the same artists, over a five month period.

It is a rather elaborate program. I listened to it on the opening night in the Church of the Artists. The protagonist is the Rome Opera Chorus, but there are also four soloists and two orchestral ensembles. The whole thing is in the hands, and the baton, of Roberto Gabbiani.

It opens with a solemn and short Credo for chorus, four soloists, strings and basso continuo. Then, there is a rather unusual Magnificat, dramatized with the soloists interpreting five different characters, and with two orchestral ensembles and two choruses confronting one another. The third and final part is the well-known and often performed Gloria for soloists, chorus and orchestra. A magnificent hymn.

A very good performance; among the soloists, the altos Silvia Pasini and Lorella Pieralli deserve a mention because Vivaldi wrote very difficult notes for them, and they handled their roles very skillfully. The audience highly appreciated the performance.