Jennifer Larmore to appear with chamber group Apollo's Fire on March 1

February 29, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla.—University of Florida Performing Arts will present the world-premiere collaboration of Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore and chamber group Apollo’s Fire. The program, to be presented Saturday, March 1 at University Auditorium, is devoted to the Venetian-inspired music of Antonio Vivaldi and George Frideric Handel.

Venice was important in both composers’ lives. As the magical floating city of Europe, Venice was a place where people indulged in all sorts of pleasures, including music. Concerts, operas and other musical events were heavily attended although not, unfortunately, always with the utmost attention. It was not uncommon for the crowd at an opera, who often played cards and talked while the performance was taking place, to interrupt the proceedings and demand that a favorite aria be repeated.

Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his life there. Known as the red-haired priest, he composed the vast majority of his work for the orphaned girls of the Ospedale della Pietà. Concerts at the orphanage were hugely popular and attended by the crème de la crème of Venice society. As a composer, Vivaldi was very popular for a while. According to Jeannette Sorrell, Conductor for Apollo’s Fire, Vivaldi had a meteoric career, achieving the popularity of a rock star before crashing to complete oblivion. In fact, many of Vivaldi’s best works remain virtually unknown today.

The German-born Handel initially studied law at his father’s insistence, but abandoned it for music after his father’s death. He traveled to Italy at the invitation of Gian Gastone de Medici and spent several years there. Because opera was banned by the Pope at the time, Handel composed a number of cantatas in an operatic style. In 1712, his “Agrippina” debuted in Venice and the public went wild. It was so stunningly popular that it played an unprecedented 27 times that year. Unlike Vivaldi, Handel’s popularity was not as fleeting. He eventually relocated to Britain, where he become a citizen in 1727, and had a long relationship with the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden where many of his operas were produced.

Apollo’s Fire will perform the four concertos that make up Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,”” his best-known work and perhaps the most popular composition of the Baroque era. The concertos were originally published as a part of 12 concertos titled “Il cimento dell Armonia e dell Inventione,” The Contest Between Harmony and Invention. The first four were designated as Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons), each being named after a season.

Ms. Larmore will perform selections from Vivaldi’s “Orlando Furioso” as well as Handel’s “Where Shall I Fly?” from Hercules and “Iris, Hence, Away”” from Semele.”
Jennifer Larmore and Apollo’s Fire will perform at the University Auditorium March 1, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30, front orchestra and mezzanine; $25, rear orchestra; and $20, balcony.

Tickets are available by calling the Phillips Center Box Office at 352-392-ARTS (2787) or 800-905-ARTS (toll-free within Florida). Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster, 904-353-3309, or toll free at 800-277-1700. Orders may also be faxed to 352-846-1562. Tickets are also available in person at the Phillips Center Box Office, University Box Office at the Reitz Union and all Ticketmaster outlets. Ticketmaster is available on the on the internet at www.ticketmaster.com. Cash, checks, Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Group tickets are also available.

The Phillips Center Box Office is open Monday –Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. and two hours prior to the performance. Performance dates, times and programs are subject to change.