“Vivaldi allowed himself many things, but at one point he could no longer escape the control of the Vatican,” said theologian Massimo Faggioli.
The Catholic Church and the Italian city of Ferrara have reconciled with Vivaldi nearly 300 years after the city archbishop canceled a performance of one of his operas and doomed the composer to debt in the last years of his life, the Associated Press reported.
The Archbishop of Ferrara, Giancarlo Perego, attended last night’s ceremony before the premiere of Farnas at the city opera, a decision hailed by its artistic director as a “wonderful gesture” to help heal the wounds of the past and focus on one of the most important. the little-known works of Vivaldi.
“We want to return to Vivaldi what was taken from him here in Ferrara,” Marcello Corvino told the Associated Press ahead of the premiere of Farnas, an opera about the tragic story of King Farnas II.
According to historical data, in the late 1930s, Ferrara Cardinal Tomaso Rufo expelled Vivaldi from the city.
because he, although a Catholic priest, ceases to celebrate Mass, and it is said that he has a relationship with one of the singers in the choir Anna Giro. This decision means that the scheduled performances of “Pharnas” are canceled, although the production is successful not only in Italy.
In fact, Vivaldi terminated his service due to breathing problems, and his relationship with Giro was probably like any other composer’s favorite soloist. It is known that Giro took care of the sick composer.
However, the cancellation of the performances is a financial collapse for Vivaldi,
because he financed them himself, and the interest in his instrumental works is already decreasing. The baroque composer is indebted. He died in 1741 in Vienna. He gained posthumous fame only when his manuscripts were rediscovered.
Theologian Massimo Faggioli explained that Vivaldi, like many artists of the time, enjoyed more freedom in his native Venice than in places like Ferrara that were under the Pope’s control.
“Vivaldi has allowed himself many things, but at some point he could no longer escape the control of the Vatican and the culture controlled by the church,” Faggioli said.
Photo: Fernara Opera House in Ferrara. Source: BTA
