Sunshine City Opera (SCO) partners with The Studio @ 620 to present a semi-staged operatic production entitled “Vivaldi’s Griselda and other Baroque tales of broken hearts” on May 25 & 26 at 7 p.m.
Showcasing excerpts from Vivaldi’s Griselda alongside Handel’s La Lucrezia and Partì l’idolo mio, this program features rarely-performed Baroque opera and cantatas presented by early music specialists from around the country (Boston, New York, and Atlanta). Works for soprano (Ashley Roper) and mezzo (Thea Lobo) will be performed alongside a late 17th century style harpsichord (Dylan Sauerwald) with cello continuo (Shirley Hunt).
“This program explores vocal music by two of the greatest masters of baroque vocal music. Vivaldi, known today almost exclusively for his violin concerti, was a prolific and talented composer of opera. Dazzling, rarely-heard arias from his Griselda tell a story of a woman whose virtue and strength win over a kingdom. On the other side of the coin, this program shows Händel at a rare and special moment of his life. In his early twenties, traveling in Italy, he wrote his most explosive and daring music for the intimate courts of the Roman elite. Not having to please a ticket-buying audience, these works explore extremes of emotion and technical difficulty hardly equaled in all music history,” says Dylan Sauerwald, Music Director for this program.
Performers include internationally renowned cellist and viola da gamba player Shirley Hunt, historical keyboard, continuo, and Baroque specialist Dylan Sauerwald, Atlanta-based coloratura soprano and Baroque music aficionado Ashley Roper, and Grammy-nominated mezzo and acclaimed Baroque soloist Thea Lobo.
May 25 & 26 at 7 p.m., The Studio @ 620
620 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701