Freiburg Baroque Orchestra: Bella Napoli

Program:
George Frideric Handel
Overture & Balli from "Agrippina" HWV 6
Concerto in B flat major HWV 294 for flautino

Giovanni Battista Mele
Concerto in F major for recorder no. 15

Alessandro Scarlatti
Sinfonia to "Il Giardino d'Amore"

Leonardo Leo
Concerto in G major for recorder

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Concerto in B flat major for violin

Lucie Horsch, recorder
Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
Gottfried von der Goltz, violin & conductor

After the overwhelming success of the "Concerti all'arrabiata", the exploration tour through Italy's musical menu continues. This time there is a multi-course menu from Naples. During the Baroque period, the city on Mount Vesuvius was the most important musical center on the Apennine peninsula alongside Rome and Venice, and countless composers gathered in the city's opera houses and palaces. Even George Frideric Handel made a point of visiting Naples during his stay in Italy, where he intensively studied the local opera and church music tradition. In 1713, his opera Agrippina was performed in Naples to great acclaim.

In addition to well-known greats such as Handel, Alessandro Scarlatti and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, there were a number of other composers in Naples who are only known to insiders today, such as Leonardo Leo and Giovanni Battista Mele. These composers are united by the so-called "Neapolitan style": catchy melodies with emotional expressiveness.

The FBO serves up these Neapolitan delicacies together with recorder player Lucie Horsch, who despite her young age has an impressive career on the international stage. Molto bene!