Galant Fire

About this event

Crescendo’s Galant Fire concert celebrates the electrifying transition from the intense gravity of the High Baroque to the luminous, driving passion of the early galant style. At the heart of the choral program is Laetatus sum RV 827, a recently rediscovered masterpiece by Antonio Vivaldi—a work so compelling it was misattributed for centuries to Baldassare Galuppi. Galuppi took the tightly knit, dramatic Venetian counterpoint of his teacher, Antonio Lotti (heard in Lotti’s Dixit Dominus in G minor), and kindled it into the sunny, operatic lyricism of his own Dixit Dominus in E-flat major. This northern spark is brilliantly answered by the Neapolitan vocal masters, led by Leonardo Leo’s festive Credo in C major, which transforms strict polyphony into an exhilarating, theatrical showcase. Interspersed among the choral masterworks, the instrumental selections perfectly mirror this clash of styles: a vivid, strings-only work by Francesco Durante provides a bridge of pure kinetic energy, while the program further contrasts Vivaldi’s Sonata al Santo Sepolcro—a somber Venetian work filled with stark chromatic tension—with Antonio Caldara’s Ciaccona, a vibrant set of variations showcasing the elegant, lyrical textures of the emerging Neapolitan style. Join us to experience a musical landscape ablaze with rhythmic vitality, vocal brilliance, and historical rediscovery. Performers: Crescendo Chorus, Soloists—soprano Caroline Christopher, alto Laura Evans, bass-baritone Douglas Williams, and Crescendo Period String Ensemble (Jeremy Zhang-Rhyzor, concert master), directed by Christine Gevert

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