Psalms for double choir Antonio Vivaldi

Throughout his career, Vivaldi received important commissions for music for the Vespers, but no coherent collection has been passed down to us. The two psalms chosen for this programme are certainly written for a Roman church. What they share is the cori spezzati the bel canto melodies, the polyphonies in the stile antico. The Dixit Dominus contains descriptive passages and a particularly remarkable concluding fugue. The Beatus Vir makes use of wide range of contrasts: opposing tempos, tonalities that are sombre and luminous in turn, powerful choirs and solos, vertical harmony and counterpoint.