RARE Vivaldi manuscripts are to be exhibited in Manchester.
The concert at the RNCM will be directed by Giovanni Guzzo, who will play the Camerata’s recently acquired 1709 Stradivarius - the first opportunity Manchester audiences have had to hear this rare violin in a solo performance."
The Four Seasons concertos by Vivaldi are well-known to audiences around the world, but it may come as a pleasant surprise to local classical music lovers that rare original manuscripts of the works are cared for by Manchester Libraries.
The Four Seasons part-books, which were composed in the early 18th century, form part of an internationally important collection of 95 Italian concertos held at the Henry Watson Music Library, currently based at City Library on Deansgate.
Antonio VivaldiThe Manchester manuscripts, which are different from the more widely-heard Le Cene version of Vivaldi’s most celebrated work, are being loaned to the Manchester Camerata (click here) for a Four Seasons concert at the Royal Northern College of Music, on Saturday 2 February.
Guests will have the chance to see the documents, and also to hear the Manchester version of the concertos performed by the orchestra.
The Henry Watson Music Library will return to Central Library after its refurbishment is completed in 2014 and some of its most important items, including the Vivaldi part-books, will be exhibited to the public on a rotation basis.
Executive member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Rosa Battle, said: "Gems such as our Vivaldi’s Four Seasons manuscripts are studied by academics, but they also deserve to be seen by a wider audience. The concert at the RNCM will be directed by Giovanni Guzzo, who will play the Camerata’s recently acquired 1709 Stradivarius - the first opportunity Manchester audiences have had to hear this rare violin in a solo performance."