Previously closed to the public the stunning heritage gallery is named in honour of the first female staff member
Appointed by the Doge of Venice as Maestro di cappella of St Mark’s Basilica, Adrian Willaert was at the epicenter of a flourishing international musical scene for thirty-five remarkable years. A dominant artistic force, the Flemish composer is revered as the architect of the celebrated Venetian School. This Renaissance man of immense talent wrote in a wide variety of genres and this program unearths the fine gems from his stylish chansons, sophisticated madrigals and highly fashionable villanescas.
6pm Saturday February 15
Isabella Fraser Room
State Library of Victoria
Daniel Thomson – tenor
Reserved Seating
– choose your seats online
With its port on the Pacific Ocean, Peru was the Baroque gateway to the New Word, a thriving hub of cultural connections. Here an extraordinary pictorial treasure ‘Trujillo del Peru’ was compiled portraying daily life just prior to the fall of the Spanish Crown. Of great musical significance, it captures a collection of intriguing scores, baroque brilliance artfully infused with the folk traditions of a rich and ancient culture. This joyous music for singing and dancing will delight with mesmerising melodies and spellbinding rhythms.
For pure entertainment or for flamboyant public display, the art of the dance in the Renaissance and early Baroque transfixed all levels of society from the formal court-dances of the noble to the country-dances for the masses. Distinct styles emerged from the stately and dignified pavane, allemande and passamezzo to the lively and vivacious galliard, courante and chacona. On splendid period instruments, spiced with expressive improvisations, be swept away by these alluring dances so wonderfully rich in variety.
