Venice: Darkness to Light, Southwark Cathedral

There’s nowhere quite like Venice, Italy’s floating city of crumbling palazzi and winding canals. Although Britain can’t lay claim on anything similar, it does boast an ensemble who aim to transport you to the Veneto with sound alone – the City of London Sinfonia. In Southwark Cathedral this October, they will present an evening of pieces that evoke the city’s unique atmosphere and musical history, beginning with ambient recordings of Venice’s streets.

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The concert proper begins with Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, one of the most resonant choral works of the eighteenth century. Soprano Elin Manahan Thomas (Eternal Light), a luminous icon of classical and baroque, takes the lead. It will be followed by another Venetian masterpiece – Vivaldi’s Keyword Concerto – with rising organist Stephen Farr playing the harpsichord as soloist. Together, these two works respectively present the Venetian baroque at its most solemn and lively.
The concert continues with a new Bach arrangement from composer Uģis Prauliņš (Missa Rigensis), part of a season-long cycle of new commissions. Then there are two John Adams renditions of romantic pieces – Liszt’s Black Gondola and Busoni’s Berceuse Elegiaque – before the night comes full circle with Stravinsky’s neo-classical Pulcinella, based on a play once alleged to be written by Pergolesi. London may not be Venice, but this concert looks to capture some of the joy of that city.