Soirée Baroque
Soirée Baroque in Rome is a wonderful evening that will enchant your taste buds and your ears alike. It begins at the Cotto Restaurant with highlights of Mediterranean cuisine. Then, after a brief stroll, you arrive at St Paul's Within the Walls Church, where an organist, some string musicians and a harpsichordist play signature works by Johann Sebastian Bach followed by Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. In this unique concert, the two Baroque legends’ pieces sound even more profound in each other’s context, a true testament to the transcendental nature of their divine music. The special atmosphere and fantastic acoustics of St Paul’s adds the final element to a perfect evening in the heart of Rome.
At 6:30 pm, the charming Cotto Restaurant opens its doors to you and invites you to a delightful four-course menu, full of regional specialties. Classic Italian starters, pasta, a fish, meat or vegetarian main course option, and an indulging dessert await. Water is complementary, and any other drinks can be ordered at an extra charge. After treating your taste buds to some authentic Italian cuisine, it is time to take a short stroll to St Paul's Within the Walls Church, where the Opera in Roma Baroque Orchestra eagerly awaits you with their special programme.
The powerful music of Bach, a composer who is known all over the world for his passion and intricate arrangements, opens the musical part of Soirée Baroque. In fact, the German was something of a Vivaldi aficionado: he transcribed some of the Italian's concerti for harpsichord while his career as a Kapellmeister was taking off. It is fitting, therefore, that the concert concludes with The Four Seasons. Vivaldi’s calling-card composition, this suite is a masterpiece of Baroque as well as classical music in general. Inspired by the composer’s own impressions of Italian nature, the series of violin concertos is ripe with musical metaphors and clever uses of instruments that make them sound like barking dogs, booming fireplaces, or hailing storms.
Soirée Baroque is a package deal for lovers of culinary and musical tradition. In the heart of Rome, at two charming neighbouring locations, your belly and your soul will both be full at the end of the night.