Queen Christina

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. Once installed in Rome, she cultivated one of the most renowned musical salons, in a city full of enlightened and discerning patrons.

Although there was always a whiff of scandal around the illustrious Queen, 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.

Penelope Spencer - violin
Oliver Webber - violin
Eligio Quintiero - theorbo/guitar
Silas Standage - harpsichord/organ

Programme

Andreas Falconieri (1585 - 1656)
- Battallia de Barabasso yerno de Satanas (The battle of Barabasso, brother-in-law of satan)
- Folias echa para mi Senora Dona Tarolilla de Carallenos (Folias written for my mistress Mme Tarolilla de Carallenos)

Bernardo Pasquini (1637 - 1710) - Toccata and Folia

Arcangelo Corelli (1653 - 1713)
- La Folia Opus V
- Trio Sonata 'da chiesa'Opus 1/1X
- Trio Sonata - Ciaccona

Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger (c1580 - 1651) - Coascione

Tarantella Napolitana, tono hypodorio - Improvisation

Listening Cards