A Musical Journey - Italy - Venice, City of Water and Light (Naxos)

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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 this tour which visits a number of the principal sites and reflects the changing light, which casts a spell of it's own. 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 Pieta, a charitable institution for girls, with a strong musical tradition. The music for the tour is taken from his collection of twelve concertos, 'Il Cimento dell'Armonia e dell'Inventione' (The Contest of Harmony and Invention), published in Paris in 1725.