Antonio Vivaldi made music history with his concertos. These varied, colourful and memorable compositions were unlike anything his contemporary audiences had ever heard before. Vivaldi’s works quickly became popular and were soon performed all across Europe. His scores, published in Amsterdam, managed to make their way to some of the more remote regions as well. This is how Vivaldi’s concertos reached Johann Sebastian Bach, who proceeded to thoroughly study the compositions of his Italian colleague. Vivaldi’s spirit is omnipresent in Bach’s instrumental concertos and apparent in his virtuoso treatment of the solo instrument as well as the symmetrical phrasing.

But Bach was by no means the only composer to acquaint himself with Vivaldi’s music. As the reputation of the Venetian spread to cities such as London and Copenhagen, the entire Europe soon began to compose in a Vivaldi-esque fashion. The concerti grossi and symphonies of Georg Friedrich Händel and Johann Adolph Scheibe also adhere to the model established by Vivaldi. At the same time, however, Scheibe also anticipates future generations of composers with his galant melodies.

Duration: 1 h 45 min (incl. intermission)