Sarabande in Italy featuring Antonio Vivaldi’s The Magnificat

Patricia Gill, Denmark Bulletin

Sarabande Early Music Ensemble explored the Baroque period of Italy in a rousing concert at a sun-bathed St Leonard’s Anglican Church on Saturday afternoon.

The performance began with the January Summer Early Music Workshops where participants focused on Antonio Vivaldi’s, The Magnificat, and Sinfonia in D for Trumpet, Strings and Continuo by Guiseppe Torelli.

Sarabande coordinator Avri Steyl said afterwards a decision had been made to work on these pieces to performance standard and for all of The Magnificat to be sung.

For the performance, Caroline Blumer had the job of playing the trumpet part of the Torelli on the recorder thus creating a superb lead.

Conductor Lesley Taylor led the Denmark Vivaldi Choir, from rehearsals in March and the performance testified to her skill in working with voice and instruments.

As a professional musician with a background in harmonising she headed a strong recital through nine movements about the power of God.

As narrator Margaret Cocks said this was not about the gentle, tender dreamy Mary often seen in paintings. The movements set out in a reflective minor key of Joy and Praise and intensified throughout to a duet in canon of Hope sung by Peter Heyworth and Catherine Soleci.

In the planning stage consideration had been given to inviting professional singers.

But, as Avril said, amid rehearsals Peter and Catherine’s voices could be heard so they were invited to perform the duet.

Written for soprano and alto, Peter had to adapt the music to his voice range.

“The result was a very musical and delightful duet,” Avril said.

Margaret told the audience that throughout history authorities had banned The Magnificat because of a perceived revolutionary message. The themes were viewed as overturning social hierarchies.

Margaret was unaware of this condemnation when singing The Magnificat as a choir girl in her village in England.

Vivaldi’s The Magificat was composed about 1720 in Venice from the St Luke’s gospel of the St James Bible published in 1611.

“In the fourth movement, the mighty are thrown from their seats and, in the fifth, the humble are exalted,” Margaret said.

“Everyone is singing in unison in this one.”

The sixth movement, with the soprano and bass duet, continued the theme of social justice: the hungry will be filled with good food and the rich sent away empty.

“If I had known all this 70 years ago, I would’ve sung with more gusto,” Margaret said.

The ninth movement, Joy, concluded The Magnificat in a spine-tingling counterpoint in three parts, the G minor raised to a final glorious major chord.

The Summer Early Music Workshops has received $14,000 in regional arts funding to support the workshops next January.

The fees paid to attend do not cover the costs involved.

Volunteers secure the funding each year.

They give young and emerging Great Southern musicians an opportunity for exposure to world-class practice in Denmark.

See more photos in the issue and in the Denmark Bulletin online.
This article appeared in Denmark Bulletin, 21 August 2025.