Capella Istropolitana - Musical Journey: Italy - DVD

The Places South Tyrol, in Northern Italy, has had a varied history, for many years as part of Austrian territory. The region remains largely German-speaking, although both German and Italian are used. Looming over the territory are the mountains, the Dolomites, with their strange shapes, and the Alps, while the valleys provide fertile ground for the production of wine. The Music Music for the tour is taken from four Concerti grossi by Handel. Born in Halle in 1685, Handel had his first musical employment there and then in Hamburg, before moving in 1706 to Italy, where he remained until 1710, when he was appointed Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover. He travelled almost at once to London, where he had been engaged to compose an Italian opera, and from 1712 until his death in 1759 settled in England, winning fame first as a composer of Italian opera and then as the creator of English oratorio.

The Places - a city built on an archipelago of 117 islets, Venice is remarkable in many ways. Unsullied by modern traffic, it's buildings retain much of their historic character and something of the magic of the place is reflected in our tour which starts and ends with the lagoon, after visiting the islands of Burano, Murano, Torcello and San Michele. The Music - Violinist, priest and most prolific composer, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his life there, associated for much of the time with the Ospedale della Piete, a charitable institution for girls, with a strong musical tradition. The music for the tour is taken from his collection of twelve concertos, L'Estro Armonico (Harmonic Inspiration), published in Amsterdam in 1711.

Scenes of Italy range from the bay of Sestri Levante in Liguria to the Tuscan vineyards of Montepulciano, Florence and Venice. The music chosen for this tour of Italy is chiefly from foreign composers who drew inspiration from Italy.