Highlights Serva Padrona

La Serva Padrona is an opera buffa from 1733 by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. The libretto was written by Gennaro Antonio Federico and was based on a play by Jacopo Angello Nelli.

Uberto raised young Serpina to be his servant and now complains of her disobedience. She doesn’t listen to his instructions, refuses to do simple things like make him chocolate at dinner, and when Uberto tries to go out, Serpina prevents him from leaving. They constantly argue about trivial matters. Serpina has something else on her mind, and with the help of the silent servant, Vespone, she tricks Uberto into marrying her. In a way that will later be repeated in many of the great opera buffas, Uberto inexplicably falls in love with her and the couple are overjoyed at their engagement.

 

Violinsonata Op. 2 No. 12 in d minor by Francesco Maria Veracini

Veracini received his first music and violin lessons from his grandfather Francesco di Niccolò. From 1702 to 1711 he was in Rome and was educated at the Scuola di Casini.

Veracini had a troublesome, eccentric and boastful character. Furthermore, he was very restless and that is why he traveled half of Europe. He found relative peace in Dresden, but there too he was at odds with various other composers.

Back in Florence he became maestro di cappella at several churches, concentrating entirely on church music. In 1744 he published his greatest violin sonatas, the 12 Academic Sonatas op. 2.

Soloists:

sopraan           Kitty Lai als Serpina

bariton             Yuichi Sakai als Uberto

acter              Edmond Chu als Vespone

 

Ensemble ConcertoValiante:

baroque violin Laura Alexander, Maria García Sánchez,

baroque cello Gülce Sucular, harpshicord Leonardo Valiante