Dolce & Tempesta, Stefano Demicheli, Marina Albero, Maria Grazia Schiavo

Dolce & Tempesta | Stefano Demicheli, harpsichord and director | Marina Albero, psaltery | Maria Grazia Schiavo, soprano

PROGRAMME

D. Terradellas (1711-1751): Overtures de La Merope i de Sesostri, re d’Egitto / Aries «Fra l’ombre del timore», «Tremate mostri di crudeltà» and «Se perde l’usignolo» (by Sesostri) / «Dono da’amica sorte» and «Dove si vide mai» (by La Merope) / «L’onda del mar divisa» (by Artaserse) / «A los dolores de Maria Santissima», cantata for solo voice, two violins and basso/  N. Jommelli (1714-1774): Symphony in G major for psaltery, two violins and basso continuo.

The Catalan composer Domènec Terradellas (1713-1751) was considered during his lifetime to be one of the most important musicians of the period. He was praised by the Encyclopédistes Rousseau and D'Alembert and has an honourable mention in the works of Charles Burney. His death in Rome in 1751 has remained a mystery to the present day. One version has it that he was murdered on the orders of his arch-rival Niccolò Jommelli. The programme designed to display the qualities of Terradelles' music and include a somewhat bizarre work for psaltery composed by Jommelli and dedicated to one of the Pla brothers, who like Terradellas were gifted Catalan composers of the 18th. century.