大象传媒

Donald Macleod reflects on Vivaldi's bittersweet relationship with Vienna and introduces music from the final decade of his life, as musical tastes in Venice began to change.

Vivaldi continued to compose for the stage through his final decade though, as tastes in Venice began to change, his standing as an opera composer was about to peak. He was constantly on the road, travelling from one court to another with his favourite singer, Anna Giraud. After a very acrimonious debacle with the Cardinal of Ferrara, who refused Vivaldi entry into the city, he nearly went bankrupt. Vivaldi still had friends in high places and, in 1740, Vivaldi made the fateful decision to travel to Vienna and seek patronage from Charles VI, Emperor of Austria. Tragically for Vivaldi, the Emperor died just as Vivaldi arrived. The composer himself only survived a few more months, ending his career in abject poverty. Donald Macleod introduces music from those final years including two operas staged in Venice in which Anna sang key roles, a concerto from one of the collections dedicated to the music-loving Emperor of Austria and, finally, one of Vivaldi's colourful multi-instrument concertos played at his final farewell to Venice.