Faculty Artist Concert Series: “Will the Real Antonio Vivaldi Please Stand Up?”

Thomas Gerber, harpsichord
Tamara Thweatt, Baroque flute
Sophie Benn, Baroque cello

In days gone by, the attribution of musical compositions was less reliable than today. From the time of Beethoven, for instance, to now, a composer put their stamp of authorship on their work–“This is mine, and no other’s.” In earlier times, authorship, for a number of reasons which this program will explore, was sometimes clouded. The work of the Italian Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) is a richly illustrative example. “Will the Real Antonio Vivaldi Please Stand Up” presents some bona fide Vivaldi, some fake Vivaldi, some spurious Vivaldi, and some borrowed Vivaldi.