Dunedin Consort: Strings of Italy

Dunedin Consort are at The Queen's Hall on Sunday 25 April, with John Butt directing. The programme, Strings of Italy, traces the evolution of the Italian string tradition through the 17th and early 18th centuries, when Italian composers turned string writing into one of Europe's most influential musical languages. It's a long stretch of music to cover in one afternoon, and the set list reflects that, pulling from a wide range of composers across those decades.

Stradella, Legrenzi and Corelli developed styles of increasing brilliance, clarity and expressive power, balancing contrapuntal richness with virtuosic flair, while Vivaldi wrote electrifying concertos for multiple violins. The programme draws on the elegant sonatas and sinfonias of Cavalli, Rosenmüller and Albinoni alongside Vivaldi's concertos. You'll hear Alessandro Stradella's Sinfonia in D, Johann Rosenmüller's Sinfonia Prima in F, and Giovanni Legrenzi's Sonata 'La Cremona' Op.8 No.10 in C. Vivaldi appears twice, with the Concerto for 4 violins RV 550 and the Concerto for 2 violins RV 522. Arcangelo Corelli contributes Concerto Grosso Op.6 No.2 in F, and Legrenzi returns with Sonata a4 Op.11 No.13 in a. Francesco Cavalli's Canzon a4 in C comes from Music Sacre, and Tomaso Albinoni's Sinfonia Op. 2 No.3 in C rounds it out.

Beyond the concert itself, the Dunedin Consort holds open rehearsals — free sessions where you can see how the ensemble's performances are put together and discover the processes they describe as the 'intangible Dunedin Consort magic' heard in the concert hall. It's a good way to get a look at the work that goes into a programme like this before it reaches the stage.

The concert starts at 3:00pm at The Queen's Hall on Clerk Street, with tickets ranging from £44 to £8, including a £2 fee per transaction.