The Italian Cultural Institute presents: Musical Treasures from 17th Century Italy. Isabella Bison, Violinist; Stefano Marcocchi, violist; John Thiessen, trumpeter; Dongsok Shin, organist will perform virtuosic 17th Century Italian chamber music on original instruments

Thursday, May 21 - 6PM
Italian Cultural Institute - 686 Park Avenue - New York

Please RSVP: HERE

Giovanni Battista Fontana's violin sonatas are among the genre's earliest examples. His Sonata Seconda a Violino solo was published posthumously in Venice (1641), a city also represented by Dario Castello (Quarta Sonata à 2 and Sonata Sesta à 2) and Biagio Marini (Passacalio à 3), both violinists at St Mark's in Venice under Claudio Monteverdi. Castello was among the first to specify instrumentation for his sonatas, and Marini, himself a virtuoso violinist, is noted both for his daring compositional style and the introduction of scordatura tuning.

Girolamo Fantini's Modo per Imparare a sonare di Tromba (1638) was the first published method book for the trumpet, something hitherto restricted to apprentice training by rote from masters at court. Music for one and two trumpets is presented, the latter performed with the violin taking the second part. Maurizio Cazzati (Ballo de Contadini à 3, Ballo de Sateri à 3 and Ballo delle Ombre à 3), Arcangelo Corelli (Sonata for Trumpet à 4) and Petronio Franceschini (Sonata for 2 Trumpets) are all associated with the famous Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna, significant for its school of violin playing, as well as for the emergence of the 17th Century trumpet sonata.

For more information on the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, please visit:
www.iicnewyork.esteri.it