Franzoni: Vespro per la festa di Santa Barbara

Accademia Degli Invaghiti, Concerto Palatino

95344

The scene is Mantua in Lombardy, Italy. The Duke of Mantua – himself a composer and eager to become a patron of the arts ¬– establishes a Basilica in the city. Freed from the auspices of Rome and with its own bespoke liturgy, the Basilica became the focus of a thriving musical environment. It was at this point that Franzoni, Maestro di Cappella at the Basilica, was commissioned to write the Vespro per la Festa di Santa Barbara for the grandest ceremony of the year, celebrating the life of the martyr to whom the Basilica was dedicated. Taking inspiration from his surroundings and the Basilica itself, where the piece was to be performed, Franzoni wrote suitably grandiose music for the occasion. Employing the use of highly skilled trumpet and cornet players, and writing intricate passages of complexity for the large chorus available to him, Franzoni worked closely with the acoustics of the venue by carefully placing musicians around the space. The occasion also required novel use of instruments; solo passages are interspersed with vocal passages, and instruments double vocal lines – practices born out of necessity that would soon become commonplace.

CD x 1

Brilliant Classics

13/11/2019

5028421953441