Silver Sounds of the Roman Seicento

The power and wealth of the families associated with the Vatican attracted some of the best Italy had to offer, and this shows in the quality of the music from Rome in that period. Ensemble leader and lutenist Din Ghani will be accompanying sopranos Maria Danishvar, Jane Hunt and Philippa Neaverson in a programme based around Roman composers of the early Baroque period, including Luigi Rossi, Stefano Landi, and Giovanni Kapsberger.

Much of this music was written for a new phenomenon that appeared in Italy in the early 17th century: professional all-female vocal ensembles who achieved superstar status, coveted by the noble courts of Italy. The Medici court at Ferrara was where this vogue started, but various other cities soon had their own; Rome clearly attracted some of the best.

Since its formation in 2012, Musicke in the Ayre have enthused audiences across Great Britain and on the Continent in over 180 recitals, each with Din accompanying one to four singers from an evolving squad. They have held residencies at the National Portrait Gallery and the Charterhouse in London, and in Bath at the Museum of Bath Architecture and (currently) St Mary’s Bathwick. They have performed regularly in Frome Festival since 2018; this year’s appearance attracted the following comment: “It was a stunning concert. Beautiful voices and playing.”