Whatever the average encyclopaedia might have you believe, many women trod the paths of music history in the Baroque. Today these female composers, who had successful careers long before girl power was a thing, are all the rage in early music circles. Isabella Leonarda made a name for herself in Lombardy, where she lived a sheltered life in the service of the Church and art. Barbara Strozzi wrapped Venetian intelligentsia around her little finger just as her poet father had done. Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre carved out her career at Versailles before extracting herself from Louis XIV’s embrace. All three women turned heads with work that was relevant without being shocking, shaking the walls of the status quo without bringing them down. The gems that flowed from their pens are more than sufficient reason for Roberta Invernizzi and her excellent musician friends to create a gallery of honour for these impressive women of the Baroque.
Program
B. Strozzi: Diporti di Euterpe, opus 7 | I. Leonarda: Sonata a tre, opus 16, nr. 5 | Sonata a più strumenti, opus 16, nr. 7 | S. Caccini: Due luci ridenti | Si miei tormenti | E. Jacquet de la Guerre: Passacaille from Céphale et Procris
Performers
Roberta Invernizzi, soprano | Claudia Combs, Mauro Lopez, violin | Alberto Guerrero, cello | Franco Pavan, Gabriele Palomba, theorbo | Flora Papadopoulos, harp