Russian cello talent Anastasia Kobekina shines in Vivaldi's virtuoso Cello Concerto in E flat and, together with Sietse-Jan Weijenberg, she plays Sollima's double concerto Violoncelles, Vibrez!. More Italian-flavoured melodies can be heard in Mendelssohn's sunny “Italian” symphony. Enjoy a musical journey through Italy, with soloists and orchestra members playing for you in various combinations, accompanied by a matching lighting design.
Mendelssohn's Fourth symphony and Vivaldi's Cello Concerto
The journey begins with three intertwining works by Gabrieli. Three violinists from the orchestra shine in the centre of attention in Gabrieli's Sonata con tre violini : Gordan Nikolić, Tijmen Huisingh and Olga Caceanova. Gabrieli, chapel master and organist at San Marco in Venice since 1585, was one of the first musicians to experiment with the acoustic possibilities of this spacious church. He wrote many polyphonic vocal and instrumental works in which the musicians were spread throughout the church. This echo effect – invented by Gabrieli and made famous by Bach with his St Matthew Passion – can be heard and seen in this performance by the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. Surrounding the violinists, you can hear the brass players, twelve in total divided into three choirs, in parts from Gabrieli's Sacrae Sinfoniae.Anastasia Kobekina then plays, as on her debut album Venice, Monteverdi's soprano aria Lamento d'Arianna. She does so in an arrangement for lute and cello, not for nothing the instrument said to be closest to the human voice.
Vivaldi's Cello Concerto by Anastasia Kobekina
The Venetian violinist, composer and teacher Antonio Vivaldi is considered the pioneer of the solo concerto. He wrote hundreds of solo concertos for various solo instruments for his talented students, of which the Cello Concerto in E flat is a wonderful example. In the second part of this concerto, you can also enjoy a chest organ. Anastasia Kobekina not only performs as a soloist in Vivaldi, she also plays the double concerto Violoncelles, Vibrez! by the controversial Italian contemporary cellist and composer Giovanni Sollima, together with the leader of the cello group, Sietse-Jan Weijenberg.
Mendelssohn's “Italian” symphony
After the interval, there will be a reprise from Sacrae Symphoniae : the Sonata Pian e Forte , a long-cherished wish of our brass players. During one of his many travels through Europe in his early twenties, Felix Mendelssohn also visited Italy. Italian culture and the Mediterranean landscape inspired him to write a new symphony, his Fourth Symphony “Italian”. “It will be the most enjoyable piece I have written so far, especially the last movement,” he wrote to his sister Fanny. The cheerful atmosphere and colourful melodies refer to his carefree and sunny journey, from Venice and Florence to Rome and Naples.
