Vivaldi: Gloria
Handel: Dixit Dominus

Elora Festival Singers
Festival Chamber Orchestra
Sheila Dietrich, soprano
Jennifer Enns Modolo, mezzo-soprano
Noel Edison, conductor

An early virtuosic work of Handel and a perennial favourite by Vivaldi presented by our internationally renowned Singers and Festival Chamber Orchestra.

Dixit Dominus – George F. Handel (1685 – 1759)

1. Dixit Dominus
2. Virgam virtutis tuae
3. Tecum principium in die virtutis
4. Juravit Dominus
5. Tue s sacerdos in aeternum
6. Dominus a dextris tuis
7. De torrente in via bibet
8. Gloria Patri

Gloria (RV 589) – Antonio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741)

1. Gloria in excelsis
2. Et in terra pax
3. Laudamus te
4. Gratias agimus tibi
5. Propter magnam gloriam
6. Domine Deus
7. Domine, Fili unigenite
8. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei
9. Qui tollis peccata mundi
10. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris
11. Quoniam tu solus sanctus
12. Cum Sancto Spiritu

George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759) was a colourful character who led a colourful life. He seems to have been born with immense musical talent, which easily withstood his father’s attempts to repress it. Already as a teenager he was employed as a harpsichordist by the Hamburg Opera, and is believed to have written at least two operas which have been lost. It is not clear why he left Hamburg, although it might have had something to do with his contemporary Johann Matheson. Matheson actually fought a duel with Handel, who was only saved by an oversized button that stopped Matheson’s sword. Matheson left Hamburg suddenly (after some financial irregularities at the Opera) to become a musicologist and a spy. Handel too decided to leave, and at age 22 found himself in Rome.

As a newcomer, Handel clearly wanted to impress, and his Dixit Dominus does just that. Rome was well known for the skill of its musicians, but Handel’s music takes virtuosity to a new level, almost unmatched anywhere in the repertoire. The work had its desired effect, and Handel quickly became the darling of Roman society. Because of its extreme difficulty, Dixit Dominus is rarely performed even today.

One of the most popular works in the choral repertoire, the Gloria by Antonio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741) was most likely written for the Ospedale della Pieta in Venice. The Ospedale was an orphanage for girls, and became a popular home for illegitimate daughters of the aristocracy, many of who were left there via the convenient and anonymous baby hatch. Musically talented girls were admitted to the conservatory, which developed an impressive reputation for excellence. Public concerts were frequently given, with the young ladies demurely hidden behind a metal grille. It was probably for one of these occasions that Vivaldi wrote his Gloria.

The son of a wealthy family, it was determined that Antonio should become a priest. He was ordained, but used the somewhat too convenient-sounding excuse of breathing difficulties to free him from the duties of saying mass, which allowed him to devote himself entirely to music. While he was associated with the Ospedale for most of his life, he was also known as an outstanding virtuoso violinist, and traveled widely. He is best remembered for the hundreds of concertos he wrote for his charges, and for his Gloria, which we hear today.
 

Jurgen Petrenko

Afternoon Tea

Enjoy tea with the vicars on grounds of St. John’s Anglican Church between the 2 pm and 4 pm Sunday afternoon performances.