Tale of Two Cities: Music of Florence and Venice

Folger Consort begins its season with four concerts of Tale of Two Cities: Music of Florence and Venice. Performances feature music associated with the early Italian republics of Florence and Venice. Marcello Mazzetti (baritone and tenor, lute and tenor viola da gamba) and Livio Ticli (tenor, alto, and harpsichord), both renowned Italian musicians, make a welcome return to the Folger for this series of concerts. Musical artists include Tatiana Chulochnikova (violin), Robert Eisenstein (vielle, viola da gamba, and violin), Sherezade Panthaki (soprano), and William Simms (theorbo, lute, and guitar). Selected Venetian music is from the 17th-century, with an extended foray into the works ofClaudio Monteverdi. Florentine works include a piece in honor of Florence by Heinrich Isaac, the great 15th-century Flemish composer who made Florence his adopted home. Other Florentine pieces include lyrics contributed by Niccolo Machiavelli. Celebrating Florence as the birthplace of opera, the concerts will feature two excerpts from the first opera composed by a woman, Francesca Caccini’s La liberazione di Ruggiero, commissioned by the Regent Archduchess Maria Maddalena. for tickets and more information, click HERE