Nidarosdomens jentekor og Norsk barokkorkester - Gloria av Vivaldi

Nidaros Cathedral’s Girl’s Choir and the Norwegian Baroque Orchestra with soloists:

GLORIA by Antonio Vivaldi

For the first time recorded as originally written for a girl’s choir

The first time this music was performed, orphaned girls sang and played all the instruments. Most of the girls were the children of prostitutes and came from the institution Ospedale della Pieta in Venice. For almost 40 years (1703-1740) Vivaldi was a teacher at this home for women without a family. His connection to the Ospedale della Pieta had music-historical consequences.

Trained and ordained as a clergyman, Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was called the “Red Priest” because of his red hair. However, he suffered from a resporatory ailment, most likely asthma, so it was difficult for him to officiate at mass where he was required to sing the liturgy. For this reason he devoted more and more of his time to composing.

After his death Vivaldi was surprisingly quickly forgotten. Other composers came into fashion in Venice, and Vivaldi’s music was seldom performed outside the city. It would take almost 200 years before his music gained the recognition it deserved. Today Vivaldi is one of the most frequently performed classical composers in the world.