Introduzione al Gloria RV 642, Gloria in D major RV 589 (arranged for soloists (SATB), Mixed choir (SATB) and organ)

Description

Antonio Vivaldi probably composed his famous Gloria in 1725. Although the exact circumstances of its origin remain a riddle, it was definitely conceived as a self-contained concert piece rather than as part of a complete setting of the Mass.

The compositional fabric, the festive character of the outside movements, and the predominance of the strings in the middle movements make this masterpiece of Venetian sacred music a natural choice for an arrangement for solo voices, choir and organ. Rather than imitating the orchestral writing, Martin Focke's arrangement offers a self-contained version tailor-made for this combination of instruments, thereby making a pinnacle of European church music accessible to the often more modest resources of today's churches.