Sacred music concert, from Naples to Venice  

Alessandro Scarlatti This programme features the Miserere and the Magnificat in 5-part polyphonic counterpoint, 3 solos from the Dixit Dominus in a resolutely Baroque style and a concerto grosso (part of a cycle of 6 concerti) published in London in 1740.
Antonio Vivaldi Vivaldi's sacred music did not enjoy the same success as his concerti and operas, and was less frequently performed during his lifetime. However, his artistic qualities, inspiration and expression are on a par with the rest of his musical output. Vivaldi was appointed violin master at the Pio Ospedale della Pieta in Venice in 1685. He subsequently held the posts of choirmaster and concert master.
At the conservatory of the Pieta, young girls received a high level of musical training and played the composer's music in the church as well as at concerts given in the institution itself. The musical renown of the Pieta made it a prestigious venue for concerts, as this letter from Charles de Brosses dated 29 August 1739 testifies