We begin a series of concerti grossi by Antonio Vivaldi this week. The twelve little gems that comprise l'Estro Armonico were the first of his works to be published, and they spread his fame around various musical centers of Europe in the early 1700s. We'll look at some of the implications of that in upcoming weeks.
The series of the symphonies of Franz Schubert continues with the Sixth Symphony, written in 1818 when Schubert was 21 years old. Schubert is widely recognized as one of the most important composers of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. This symphony shows Schubert on the cusp of those two eras.
Some early piano miniatures of Beethoven, the pageantry of Handel's celebration of the coronation of a new British monarch, and an organ Magnificat from the early 1600s... plus we remember Gunther Schuller. All that and more this Thursday.
