Sourced from EMV website
This time of year often involves a lovely reveling in tradition and a looking back at earlier times. Early Music Vancouver (EMV) presents a holiday performance that will transport attendees to eighteenth century Venice in a bringing together of female voices and instrumentalists.
On December 23, 2017 (7:30pm), at the Chan Shun Concert Hall at The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (6265 Crescent Road), EMV will hold a special Christmas concert, Festive Cantatas: Vivaldi’s Gloria and Magnificat.
The programme will feature the work of Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, who was a violin teacher and musical director from 1703 to 1740 at L’Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage for girls in Venice. The orphanage housed homeless and unwanted children, providing them with shelter, care, education, and, particularly, music learning. The compositions that he created during his time there were tailored for talented all female voices, with the base and tenor parts adjusted for their ranges. One can only imagine how uplifting it must have been for these singers to come together through music in glorious harmony. The choir and orchestra became renowned, every Sunday performing for public audiences, many of whom where elite members of Venetian society.
EMV will recreate the magical experience by celebrating a unique and specialist all-female ensemble, led by British-born violinist and conductor Monica Huggett.
Monoica Huggett; Photo Credit: Tori Ava Photography
Other participants include singers Arwen Myers (soprano), Danielle Sampson (soprano), Jane Long (soprano), Vicki St. Pierre (alto), Laura Pudwell (alto), and Debi Wong (alto). The performance will also showcase musicians, such as Debra Nagy on baroque oboe and Kris Kwapis on baroque trumpet.
Image of Kris Kwapis by Frances Gaul
The following pieces will be played: Laetatus Sum RV 607, Concerto for Oboe and Trumpet in D major RV 563, Magnificat RV 610, Concerto for Oboe and Violin in B flat major RV 548, and Gloria RV 589. The concert, a return to the music as it was originally conceived, will be a festive treat for Vivaldi fans, as well as those new to these magnificent works.
Tickets and further information can be found on-line.
