Vivaldi: Sacred and Secular

Spend a day with the music of Baroque master Antonio Vivaldi and in the company of John Holiday, ‘one of the finest countertenors of his generation' (LA Times).

Over the course of an afternoon, Gramophone Orchestra of the Year 2021 nominee Accademia Bizantina and their Conductor and Artistic Director Ottavio Dantone unpick the music of great Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi. Hear the composer’s ever-popular Four Seasons with its vivid musical paintings of buzzing flies, startling thunder and bibulous merry-makers interspersed with eye-wateringly virtuosic concerti from The Harmonic Inspiration.

These secular orchestral works are the perfect contrast to Vivaldi’s brooding Stabat Mater and spirited Nisi Dominus, for which Accademia Bizantina are joined by John Holiday. In demand not only in the classical world but also in pop, jazz and gospel music circles too, on first listen to his debut single Alive in Me you might wonder how that translates to Vivaldi. Trust us – it does.

Ticket price includes entry to both 2pm & 7.30pm concerts.

Produced by the Barbican

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