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Since 2006, The Vivaldi Project has been stringing audiences along with a host of engaging programs focused on Baroque and classical works. Co-directors Elizabeth Field (violin) and Allison Nyquist (viola) have created an impactful trio with the help of Stephanie Vial (cello); for their performance at UVA’s cozy but stately Old Cabell Hall on Friday, they’ll welcome faculty violinist David Sariti.
Known to rock out on period instruments from years past in order to accurately capture the sights and sounds of the late 18th century, The Vivaldi Project continues its tradition of airing out some often overlooked pieces as well. In this 90-minute set, the group will hit on something from big-name Franz Joseph Haydn, but some lesser-celebrated composers will also get proper attention, too.
Music by Italian violinist, opera singer, and composer Maddalena Sirmen is on the evening’s schedule. Work by Joseph Bologne Chevalier de St. George, one of the first classical composers of African descent, is slated for performance, as well as pieces by prolific opera and chamber music creator Felice Giardini, Spanish transplant cellist composer Luigi Boccherini, and more surprise pieces.
The Vivaldi Project has a reputation for regularly partnering with other musicians and educating their audiences, so expect that the musicians will shed more light on the lives and backstories of the music they’ve chosen. The delicate nature of the tools of the trade, coupled with the classical realm’s more obscure source material, stands to offer a new way of hearing some rather old music.
