Considered one of the prominent representatives of the Venetian Baroque, Antonio Vivaldi has sparked the souls of the listenersfrom the beautiful city of residence of Vâlcea county through his brilliant music, with the same vibrating emotion from over three centuries ago, when he would liven up with his music's electrifying effect of his creations and interpretations not only Venice, but the whole Western Europe, beginning with Rome, where he performed before the Pope and continuing with Dresden, Darmstadt, Amsterdam, Florence, Prague and Vienna, where he passed away at the age of 63.

Monday, on the 20th of March, the stage of the "Ion Dumitrescu" Philharmonic resounded of this master's music, born on the 4th of March 1678, 345 years, in an exceptional concert which paid homage to the master by including in the program the integral of his masterpieces for violin, cello and string orchestra.

Violinist Raluca Stratulat and cellist Valentin Dimitrie Simion have performed Vivaldi's Double Concerto along with the "Ion Dumitrescu" Philharmonic's Orchestra under the baton of conductor Daniel Manasi.

During the Concerto for Violin and Cello in A Major, RV 546 the soloists had masterfully revealed the very contrast of tunes between the violin and the cello. Concerto for Violin and Cello in B-flat major, RV 547 has brought the violin in the focus, which led through its virtuosity and natural glamour of its timbre, but also the cello has proven itself a full partner in the unfolding of the musical discourse.

The series of the three Concertos has ended with a captivating piece: Double Concerto for Violin and Cello in F Major, RV 544, a title which already alludes to the playfulness of the music," Il Proteo o sia il mondo al rovescio", Proteu or the world turn upside down. And the exceptional interpretation of the two soloists has shown the audience that the solo parts for violin and cello are reversed, each being written in the key belonging to the other instrument.

The string section of the "Ion Dumitrescu" Philharmonic Orchestra in Râmnicu Vâlcea, under the baton of conductor Daniel Manasi has remarkably taken part as the accompanist to the flamboyant atmosphere produced by the highest virtuosity of the three vivaldian creations.

In fact, the whole concert, called with inspiration "Il distratto" has was conducted on a humorous note and has joined Antonio Vivaldi's masterpieces an Entr'acte from the scene music composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for the play "Thamos, King of Egypt" written by Tobias Philipp von Gebler, and at the end the audience from Vâlcea enjoyed the sounds of Joseph Haydn's Symphony No.60 which gave the title of the concert, "Il distratto", an adaptation of the scene music through which Haydn has depicted the comedy of the French dramaturg Jean- François Regnard.

From his rostrum, conductor Daniel Manasi has once again proved his high conducting training acquired both in the country and at the Vienna Conservatory, managing to capture during the final symphonythe whole sense of joy that protrudes through the stavesof this score created in 1774 and pigmenting the final part of the work, with an instrumental theater tinge, to the delight of the listeners who rewarded the entire performance of the series from March the 20^th, 2023 with a prolonged round of applause.

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