Opera Prima with Amanda Forsythe (Boston Early Music Festival)

Grand Tour: Virtuosic music of the Galant

Celebrated viola da gamba virtuoso Cristiano Contadin and his renowned ensemble Opera Prima return to BEMF with a program of music exploring the Galant style that was in vogue across western Europe during the middle of the 18^th century. The complexity and formal structure of the Baroque gives way to a charismatic beauty and captivating elegance that was still grounded by a virtuosic basso continuo. The magnificent soprano Amanda Forsythe—a favorite of BEMF audiences and longtime collaborator with Contadin—is showcased in sparkling arias alongside charming concertos and sinfonias from such Galant masters as Hasse, Tartini, C. P. E. Bach, the brothers Johann Gottlieb and Carl Heinrich Graun, Alessandro Scarlatti, and Abel.