Maestro delle Nazioni

Set in the beautiful Lobkowicz Palace, the opening concert of the season will be dedicated to the works of Giuseppe Tartini and his illustrious contemporary Antonio Vivaldi, both masters of instrumental solo concertos. The choice of venue is particularly fitting, as the Lobkowicz family was among the most significant patrons of musicians and active collectors of sheet music.

Giuseppe Tartini is associated with the Czech lands in several ways. He studied composition in Assisi with Bohuslav Matěj Černohorský, who was working there at that time. In 1723 Tartini travelled to Prague to attend the celebrations to mark the coronation of Charles VI as King of Bohemia and he stayed on for three years in the service of Count Kinský. He was, however, also in contact with the princes of the Lobkowicz family. On returning to Italy in 1727 he initiated his pedagogical work in Padua: his violin school was called the “School of Nations”, as students attended from all corners of Europe. Tartini devoted himself in his works exclusively to the violin, writing more than one hundred and thirty solo concertos for the instrument. In contrast to Tartini, the work of Antonio Vivaldi contains numerous instrumental and vocal pieces. However, even Vivaldi earnt his place in music history primarily through his violin concertos. He also has a significant association with the Czech lands, as Count Morzin engaged him to lead his Prague ensemble. While he did not lead it in person, he contributed to its repertoire and dedicated to the Count his most famous set of concertos, the Four Seasons.