Vivaldi
Bertagnolli, Biguzzi, Bianchetti, Manfrini, Oberti, Tranquillini

Gemma Bertagnolli, soprano

Stefano Biguzzi, violin

Lorenzo Tranquillini, violin

Klaus Manfrini, viola

Federico Bianchetti, cello

Luca Oberti, harpsichord

Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)

Laudate pueri Dominum, RV 600

A walking tour through the streets of Mantua with journalist and writer Stefano Scansani introduces the concert. Meeting point: 3:15 p.m. at the entrance of Palazzo Ducale in Piazza Sordello. Reservation recommended.

25’ | Admission with museum ticket

The interpretation of Vivaldi’s sacred repertoire requires great stylistic sensitivity and technical assurance—qualities well represented by Gemma Bertagnolli, one of the most authoritative voices in Baroque repertoire.

Alongside her, an ensemble of soloists—Stefano Biguzzi and Lorenzo Tranquillini (violins), Klaus Manfrini (viola), Federico Bianchetti (cello), and Luca Oberti (harpsichord)—accompanies Antonio Vivaldi’s Laudate pueri Dominum, one of the most significant works in his sacred output.

Composed likely during his Venetian period at the Ospedale della Pietà, the piece sets Psalm 112 to music through a sequence of short, contrasting episodes. The writing alternates moments of virtuosic brilliance with more intimate and contemplative passages, reflecting the meaning of the sacred text.

The soprano voice is the central protagonist, with wide coloratura passages and luminous melodic lines supported by a subtle yet richly colored instrumental accompaniment. Vivaldi thus builds a balance between formal clarity and immediate expressiveness: each section has its own character, yet contributes to a unified structure.

The result is an intense yet accessible work, combining devotion and theatricality in a typically Baroque idiom.

The Sala dei Fiumi provides an ideal visual counterpart: the fluidity of the melismas and the precision of Vivaldi’s forms resonate perfectly with the river-themed iconography surrounding the audience.

Text by Desirée Blundi