An evening full of surprises.
The beautiful baroque “Barbaniterkirche”, a church in Mariahilf, will set the stage for the most spectacular virtuoso music of the 18th century: three incredible violin sonatas by Nicola Porpora, as well as harpsichord works by Domenico Scarlatti—pieces which authentically reflect the spirit of their epoch but also recall the beauty of baroque polyphonic techniques.
When one hears the name “Nicola Porpora”, one will automatically associate him with Joseph Haydn and Johann Adolph Hasse. Indeed, the Italian composer acted as a disciplinarian of young Haydn and as a teacher of the brilliant Hasse. Furthermore, he was an acclaimed expert of Italian singing. Less commonly known, he was born in 1768 and therefore only one year younger than Johann Sebastian Bach. Porpora’s style was conservative, and yet it was only slightly determined by the Gallant Style. Nonetheless, his violin sonatas are virtuosic masterpieces.
Domenico Scarlatti is one of the most famous composers of the Baroque period, even though his music might be closer to the Gallant Style. Born in Naples the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach, Scarlatti spent the second half of his life in Spain and Portugal, where he worked as a composer and harpsichordist for royal families. It was there that he composed 555 harpsichord sonatas. Scarlatti’s special style made an important contribution to the development of European keyboard music.