CD of the week: Vivaldi: Gods, Emperors and Angels

The Baroque ensemble La Serenissima return with their latest album, focusing on the music of Vivaldi.

So, who are these gods, emperors and angels in the title? Well, Vivaldi composed music for the Roman Emperor Charles IV and dedicated his set of concertos called La Centra (meaning ‘the lyre’) to him, thereby likening the emperor to the lyre-playing god Apollo.

As for the angels, they’re undoubtedbly Vivaldi’s virtuoso female students at the Ospedale della Pieta, one of which was described in a poem at the time as follows: ‘She plays the violin in such a way that anyone hearing her is transported to Paradise – if indeed it is true up there the angels play like that’.

This new album gives us the chance to discover some of Vivaldi’s lesser-known concertos.