MUSIC OF THE GRAND TOUR
May 30, 2019 | Bohemian National Hall
Pascale Beaudin soprano
The Four Nations Ensemble
Illustrated talk by John Brewer
Music by
Jean-Baptiste Quentin
Johann Adolf Hasse
Antonio Vivaldi
Arcangelo Corelli
Battista Pergolesi
In the eighteenth century, it was customary for wealthy young men in Northern Europe to study Classical languages, history and culture. They would then take to the road to bring that education to life. After a taste of sophistication in Paris, they would cross the Alps to Italy, buying real and counterfeit Roman statues in Naples, Renaissance artworks in Rome and Florence, and fine glassware in Venice, and attending operas and concerts wherever they went. There were forbidden pleasures to enjoy as well: Venice was home to Carnival, casinos, masked women, and moonlit gondola rides. Historian John Brewer, author of The Pleasures of the Imagination, will lead us into the world of the Grand Tour and explain its historical and artistic importance. Meanwhile, inspired by the diaries of travelers such as Horace Walpole, Sir William Hamilton and Casanova, The Four Nations Ensemble has chosen a selection of works by Vivaldi, Pergolesi, Quentin, Hasse, and Corelli. Rich in sensual music, the program will provide all kinds of delights – except those offered by masked Venetians!