Fairmont Classic — Bach & Vivaldi || 29 June 2024 || Fairmont Grand Hotel

What portrait of Vivaldi can we make today? From the brief descriptions of his contemporaries, it is clear that the composer was well aware of the exclusivity of his talent, liked to brag about the lightning speed of his work and was obsessed with money. His choleric temperament was balanced by a penchant for religious meditation, and his energy and charisma made an impression on all the guests without exception. Extravagant antics were part of his lifestyle: for example, he could dedicate a frivolous opera, for a moment... to the Virgin Mary herself.

Another composer of the evening is Johann Sebastian Bach, another composer of the "spiritual" genre. But you may be surprised to learn that Bach tops the list of classical composers whose works couples love to fall in love with. We will not touch on the subject of eroticism in Bach's music, but will only mention how Mendelssohn made all of Europe fall in love with it two hundred years ago (Bach, like Vivaldi, was unfairly forgotten for a long time). Mendelssohn impressed even Goethe with this music, who, it seems, was not very sensitive to the art of sounds. And he played the first part of Bach's Third Orchestral Suite for him on the piano. About her, the poet thoughtfully said that for a moment he saw before his eyes a procession of elegantly dressed people descending a long staircase.