Realm of Music: Baroque Music Concerts

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experience a musical gathering in the Roman Palazzo of the infamous Queen...
03 April 2005

Christina, Queen of Sweden, 1628-1689

At birth she was pronounced a boy; at 7 she was Queen of Sweden; at 23 she was crowned with great ceremony in Stockholm. Only four years later she abdicated her Protestant crown, converted to Catholicism, and moved to Rome, leaving a trail of astonished reports in her wake as she crossed Europe.

Pallas of the North

Exalted by visiting diplomats as the 'Pallas of the North', Christina cultivated music and dance whilst still in Stockholm, and began to amass a truly remarkable library. Many musical works were performed in her honour as she travelled south, and once installed in Rome, she cultivated one of the most renowned musical salons, in a city full of enlightened and discerning patrons.

A darker side...

Yet there was always a seedy side to Christina's life: a whiff of scandal always pursued her, whether for her suspected liaisons with both sexes, or her famed disregard for propriety and feminine modesty. Permanently short of money, she became something of a thorn in the side of Roman society, and at her death the bequests in her will turned out to be debts in reality. Yet musicians remember her with gratitude, for her presence in Rome inspired some of the finest music of the century, culminating in the dedication of Corelli's opus 1, a publication which changed the face of chamber music across Europe.

Tickets are available at £20 single, £35 for a pair, or £60 for 4 Flexicoupons:

Programme

Composer	Who was he?	Piece	Minutes	InfoNerd
Andrea Falconieri b Naples, 1585; d Naples, 1656	Andrea Falconieri was born in Spanish-ruled Naples. He was a renowned lutenist, guitarist and composer and his passion was Spanish music.	Battallia de Barabasso yerno de Satanas The battle of Barabasso, brother-in-law of Satan	4
Bernardo Pasquini b Massa Valdinievole [now Massa e Cozzile, Pistoia],1637; d Rome, 1710	Italian composer, harpsichordist and organist. Renowned in his day as a virtuoso keyboard player, he was the most important Italian composer of keyboard music between Frescobaldi and Domenico Scarlatti.	Tocatta and Folia in a minor for solo harpsichord	6
Andrea Falconieri b Naples, 1585; d Naples, 1656	Andrea Falconieri was born in Spanish-ruled Naples. He was a renowned lutenist, guitarist and composer and his passion was Spanish music.	Folias echa para mi Señora Dona Tarolilla de Carallenos Folias written for my mistress Mme Tarolila de Carallenos	4
Arcangelo Corelli b Fusignano, 1653; d Rome, 1713	Corelli was a very innovative figure, and a stunning violinist. He also the first composer to owe his reputation (mostly) to music publishing, and the first to produce classic instrumental works which were admired and studied long after their idiom became outmoded.	FoliasOpV	12
Arcangelo Corelli b Fusignano, 1653; d Rome, 1713	Corelli was a very innovative figure, and a stunning violinist. He also the first composer to owe his reputation (mostly) to music publishing, and the first to produce classic instrumental works which were admired and studied long after their idiom became outmoded.	Trio sonata Op. II, Nr.XII Ciaccona	7
Angelo Michele Bartolotti b Bologna, early 17th century; d ?Paris, after 1668	Italian composer, guitarist and theorbo player. After publishing two books of his guitar music in Italy, Bartolotti moved to Paris. In France Bartolotti was admired principally as a theorbo player and without doubt the most skillfull theorbo player in France and Italy.	Ciaccona in C major	6
Arcangelo Corelli b Fusignano, 1653; d Rome, 1713	Corelli was a very innovative figure, and a stunning violinist. He also the first composer to owe his reputation (mostly) to music publishing, and the first to produce classic instrumental works which were admired and studied long after their idiom became outmoded.	Trio sonata Op. I, Nr.IX da chiesa	7
Improvisation	As was the custom in the baroque, Realm of music will improvise on the Tarantella theme. This theme was notated by a German musician, Athanasius Kircher in Rome in the 1640s.	Tarantella Napolitana Tono Hypodorio	4

Presented by
Penelope Spencer Baroque Violin	Oliver Webber Baroque Violin	Lynda Sayce Lute and Baroque Guitar	Silas Standage Organ

Realm of Music presents

Queen Christina of Sweden in Rome

Sunday 3rd April 2005
St. Albans Town Hall
Afternoon tea and buns from 4pm
Concert: 4.30 - 5. 45pm
Wine and cheese reception with the musicians

The event will begin with a tea/coffee and buns served in the vestibule. You and your guests will then be ushered through to the Hall, to enjoy an hour of masterful 18th century music performed on original instruments, in a beautiful space ideally suited to this intimate and extraordinary music. During the concert, you can sit back and let the musicians guide you through the music, with brief and friendly introductions to the pieces.

Every person who enters the Realm of Music also receives a 'listening pack' specifically tailored to the event. A concept unique to Realm of Music, this package of colourful cards presented in an attractive graphical format, can help you enjoy the music even more by showing you what to listen out for.

The post-concert reception presents an ideal setting for socializing as well as a great chance to meet up with the musicians and other people involved in creating this unique event.

Please click here for a description of the afternoon's format