Vivaldi Gloria | The City of Leicester Singers

This is a programme of joyful music in praise of God. It consists of a Te Deum, two Glorias and a Concerto.

Haydn's Te Deum in C Major was written for Empress Maria Theresa and was first performed in Eisenstadt, the home of the Esterhazy family, in the autumn of 1800 during a visit by Horatio Nelson.

Puccini composed his Messa di Gloria at the end of his time as a student in Lucca. It clearly shows that he was already looking forward to the next chapter of his life as a composer of opera.

Vivaldi's Gloria was written in 1715 for the students of the Ospedale della Pieta, an orphanage in Venice for the education and care of girls, which specialised in music. After his death, the piece remained lost in a pile of manuscripts until it was discovered in 1920. Since then it has been regularly performed. It's a jubilant piece with a real sense of drama.

Bach's Double Violin Concerto dates from about 1730, when he was Director of Collegium Music at the University of Leipzig. It's mainly famous for its sublime second movement.