Venice, during the time of Vivaldi, Jommelli, and Porpora, was a city pulsating with musicality: everyone made music, lived from opera to opera, the baker delivered his bread singing, people spontaneously sang songs on the streets. In short, Venice was a bustling city, vibrating with the most beautiful tones and harmonies, produced by its residents and composers.
The three composers on this CD have one thing in common: they all worked at two of the 4 orphanages that Venice was rich in, the Ospedaledella Pieta and the Ospedale degli Incurabili. In the 18th century, orphaned children were placed in orphanages that also guaranteed a solid musical education.
Vivaldi taught violin and later worked as a composer at the Ospedale della Pieta, Porpora and Jommelli were both associated with the Ospedale degli Incurabili. They wrote numerous works for these young students. The Ospedale della pieta was a orphanage specifically for girls. The girls from this Ospedale became world-famous, and people came from all over Europe to Venice to witness the singing angels behind bars, whose faces were invisible.
These composers must be seen against the backdrop of the ever-moving Venice. The composers contributed significantly to the city enveloped in sounds, where carnival was celebrated for 6 months a year.
Lotte Bovi and the l’Ora Blu Orchestra have tried to capture this dynamism in a very personal performance. With this album, they attempt to make the heartbeat of the vibrant Venice of yesteryear resonate. The free republic of Venice where, alongside life, the fine arts were celebrated, where people partied, made music, loved, sang, and gambled, but at the same time, worked incredibly hard. In short, a Vibrant Venice.
