Vivaldi / Cappella Dellospedale Della Pieta - Carnevale di Venezia [CD]

Carnival in Venice, the event people are talking about throughout Europe, is indeed the accumulation of the numbers of games, which were allowed to be played only in that season, unless there are other special reasons for celebration. In this sort of entertainment, we can enumerate comedies, operas, casino games, ballet, parades, bull fights, tightrope dances, puppet shows, and jugglers' performances. At that point in the celebration, everyone is allowed to wear masks all day long. In the old days, the carnival would start on the second day of Christmas and go throughout the beginning of the new year. The reason this was eventually postponed by officials was concern for public safety and the fact that many people were using masks as disguise to commit crimes. This release is to celebrate not only the carnival but also the works of Antonio Vivaldi. The form of Venetian opera was evoked by the baroqu eaesthetics: it demanded richness of impressions, diversity, contrasts, surprises but at the same time full pleasure transmitted from the stage. That is why the perfect solution was found in weaving dramatic action and love affairs. The public experienced a huge load of emotions throughout the performance. When the carnival was in full swing, Venice would experience up to five operatic productions a year!