Event programme

Vivaldi & Tartini
From both sides of the Adriatic

The concert programme of the closing concert of the Seviqc festival is a presentation of two great composers from both sides of the Adriatic: Antonio Vivaldi and Giuseppe Tartini. Giuseppe Tartini, as a key composer, whom the Il Terzo Suono ensemble includes in all its concerts, is one of the greatest violin virtuosos and composers of his time. Along with the works of Corelli, Veracini, Locatelli and other baroque masters, Il Terzo Suono represents the cultural heritage of Slovenia throughout Europe. The ensemble has repeatedly premiered previously undiscovered compositions by the great composer, such as the Sonata in 2004, presumably written for the cello, because the musical notation is in the bass and tenor clef. Il Terzo Suono will conclude the closing concert of the festival with Vivaldi's famous La Follia. Follia means madness, and Il Terzo Suono and Vivaldi also play with the most brilliant antics of virtuosity.

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770)
Sinfonia in La a 4 voci
Allegro assai / Andante assai / Menuett -Allegro assai

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Sinfonia a piu strumenti “Il Giustino”
Allegro / Andante / Allegro

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) 
Concerto del Sigr. Tartini per flauto, violini, alto e basso 
Adagio

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678-1741) 
Concerto intitolato “La notte” 
Largo / Presto / Largo / Presto / Largo / Allegro

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770)
Sonata del Signor Tartini in mi minore  “Senti lo mare”
Andante cantabile / Allegro cantabile / Giga

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto per violoncello, archi e cembalo
Allegro / Andante / Allegro

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Sonata XII
“La Follia” 

This programme explores the vibrant and complex musical exchange between two exceptional Baroque masters – Antonio Vivaldi of Venice and Giuseppe Tartini of Piran – whose artistic expressions, though rooted in shared cultural and musical foundations, reveal captivating differences that shaped Baroque music on both sides of the Adriatic Sea. This exchange was not merely aesthetic; it reflected a broader dynamic between the cultural centres of the Mediterranean, where music became a bridge between philosophy, nature, theatre and technical virtuosity.

Vivaldi – a priest, violinist and composer known as the “Red Priest” – was one of the most prolific and recognisable composers of his time. His oeuvre includes over 500 concertos, numerous operas, sacred works and instrumental sonatas. His music is characterised by theatrical flair, rhythmic vitality, melodic invention and sonic imagination. His works are often filled with dramatic contrasts, reminiscent of Venetian opera tradition and the theatricality of the lagoon metropolis.

Tartini, by contrast, was a more reflective thinker – composer, theorist, philosopher and violin virtuoso who sought the perfect union of art, natural law and spiritual harmony. His style is marked by technical refinement, lyrical cantilenas and expressive depth, often reflecting his philosophical contemplations on tone, vibration and emotional truth in music.

Together, their music forms a rich and multifaceted portrait of Adriatic Baroque identity – Mediterranean beauty, philosophical contemplation and explosive creativity.

Inspiration from the Sea: Musical Landscapes of the Adriatic

The very title of the programme points to the central theme of the concert: the sea. Tartini’s Piccola Sonata No. 6 in E minor, also known as Senti lo mare (“Listen to the Sea”), directly expresses the composer’s inspiration drawn from observing nature and its inner motion. This sonata, with its delicate lyricism, wave-like melodies and reflective harmonies, evokes the image of the sea's waves rising and falling rhythmically along the coast of Piran.

On the other hand, Vivaldi’s music often evokes gusts of wind and storms – powerful natural forces that Baroque music liked to portray as metaphors for inner states or divine power. His works are not just aesthetic objects but “sonic paintings” of life by the Adriatic: winds, light, moods and natural cycles.

Sinfonias and Narrative Orchestral Worlds

The programme includes two Vivaldi sinfonias for strings and basso continuo, which reveal his mastery in shaping orchestral textures. The Sinfonia in C major, RV 717, comes from the opera Il Giustino and serves as an overture – a short yet powerful presentation of the dramatic energy characteristic of the entire work. The piece is distinctly theatrical, full of sharp rhythms and lively counterpoint, transporting the listener instantly into the mood of the Baroque stage.

The second, the Sinfonia in G minor, is among his most renowned orchestral pieces, particularly due to its highly virtuosic third movement, where one hears the influence of Mediterranean dance rhythms, glowing harmonies and refined phrasing.

Tartini’s Sinfonia in A major, by contrast, takes us into another world – more serene, contemplative, with a more pronounced contrapuntal texture. Tartini was not only a technical innovator but also a composer who constantly sought a balance between form and expression, between mathematical purity and emotional depth.

Concert Magic: Vivaldi and the Art of Soloistic Expression

A special highlight of the programme is Vivaldi’s Concerto for Flute in G minor, known as La Notte – The Night, RV 439. This exceptional work, comprising six movements, creates a fantastic nocturnal atmosphere with surprising narrative power. Ghosts, dreams, sleep, awakening – all are depicted through the alternation of slow and fast sections, portraying an emotional and symbolic journey through the night.

The Largo movements express a sense of melancholy and mystery, while the Presto movements quicken the pulse and awaken the listener’s imagination. Here, Vivaldi is not merely composing music; he is creating a narrative that guides the listener like in a dream or an inner psychological landscape.

Equally striking is the Concerto for Cello in A minor, RV 419, in which Vivaldi develops the third movement as a ciaccona – an old dance form built on a repeating bass line. This movement is emotionally charged, full of technical challenges and expressive tension. The composer calls on the soloist to use variation to express a wide emotional range – from melancholy to ecstatic joy.

A Finale Marked by Madness: La Follia

The climax of the concert is undoubtedly the performance of La Follia, one of the most recognisable musical themes in Western history, which reached its Baroque zenith. The word follia means “madness”, the central symbolic motif of this music – a state in which reason fails and emotions take over. The La Follia theme, with its characteristic harmonic progression, spread across Europe as a basis for improvisations, variations and expressive outbursts.

Antonio Vivaldi included his version of La Follia as the 12th sonata in his collection Trio Sonatas, Op. 1. It is a masterfully structured work, full of contrasts, dynamic twists and brilliant technical effects. The variations unfold one after another like scenes in a play – now gentle and lyrical, then bold and wild. Vivaldi’s La Follia is both a statement of individuality and a tribute to traditional form – a paradox that reflects the essence of the Baroque.

Vivaldi was not alone in exploring the Follia theme; Corelli and Geminiani also tackled it. Corelli’s Sonata Op. 5 No. 12 became one of the most influential versions, and Geminiani later orchestrated it. Each version opens a different perspective on the theme of madness – from pathos to irony, from control to chaos.

Epilogue: Music as Cultural Dialogue

This programme is not just a series of compositions – it is a story about the encounter of two musical worlds, a cultural exchange between the Venetian capital and the coastal town of Piran, between cosmopolitanism and introspection. Vivaldi and Tartini, though operating in different artistic orbits, shared a deep commitment to exploring the boundaries of expression and musical imagination. Their works together form not only a sonic but also a symbolic map of the Baroque Adriatic – restless, dazzling and profoundly spiritual.

With this concert, the Seviqc festival pays homage to Baroque visionaries whose music transcended boundaries of time, space and human understanding. In an age where we are once again confronted with questions of identity, connection and the search for meaning, the music of Vivaldi and Tartini reminds us that dialogue – not only between notes, but between cultures – remains one of the noblest forms of human exchange.