Concentus Musicus Wien

Opera semiseria is an Italian operatic subgenre that blends the elevated, noble tone of opera seria with the lively wit and stock comic figures of opera buffa. Its stories often revolve around pastoral or small-town settings, endangered innocence, sudden reversals of fortune, and a rescue or reconciliation that leads to a happy ending (lieto fine). Musically, it sits within the late Classical and early Romantic bel canto idiom: graceful cantabile melodies, virtuosic cabalettas, buoyant ensembles, and theatrically charged finales are typical. A hallmark is the coexistence of a noble soprano or tenor with a basso buffo (comic bass), allowing serious pathos and comic relief to interweave within the same drama.

A concerto grosso is a Baroque-era orchestral form built on contrasts between a small group of soloists (the concertino) and the full ensemble (the ripieno or tutti). It typically features strings with basso continuo, terraced dynamics, antiphonal dialogue, and clear tonal harmony. Two principal subtypes emerged: the church-oriented sonata da chiesa (often in a four-movement slow–fast–slow–fast plan) and the dance-inflected sonata da camera (suite-like movements). The genre highlights thematic exchange, sequences, and imitation, with the concertino—often two violins and cello—embroidered against broader tutti refrains. Corelli’s models codified its syntax, and Handel’s sets represent its late-Baroque culmination.

Baroque is a period and style of Western art music spanning roughly 1600–1750. It is characterized by the birth of functional tonality, the widespread use of basso continuo (figured bass), and a love of contrast—between soloist and ensemble, loud and soft, and different timbres. Hallmark genres and forms of the era include opera, cantata, oratorio, concerto (especially the concerto grosso), dance suite, sonata, and fugue. Textures range from expressive monody to intricate counterpoint, and melodies are richly ornamented with trills, mordents, and appoggiaturas. Baroque music flourished in churches, courts, and theaters across Europe, with regional styles (Italian, French, German, English) shaping distinctive approaches to rhythm, dance, harmony, and ornamentation.

An oratorio is a large‑scale, multi‑movement work for voices and orchestra, typically on a sacred narrative subject, performed without staging, costumes, or scenery. It combines solo recitatives and arias with powerful choruses and instrumental movements, using a dramatic arc similar to opera but presented as a concert work. Languages and styles vary by era and region (Italian and Latin in early Roman oratorios, German for Lutheran works such as Bach’s, and English for Handel’s). While most are sacred, secular oratorios also exist. Across the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and modern eras, the oratorio evolved from intimate devotional storytelling to monumental public concert pieces, often intended for festivals and large choirs.

Baroque ensemble refers to groups performing instrumental and vocal music from the Baroque era using the ensemble formats of the time—string bands with continuo, mixed winds and brass, and, at larger scale, early orchestras. It foregrounds basso continuo (harpsichord, organ, theorbo, cello/violone) supporting melody instruments (violins, violas, oboes, recorders, trumpets, flutes) in forms such as trio sonatas, dance suites, concerti grossi, overtures, and early symphonies. In contemporary usage, the term often implies historically informed approaches: period or replica instruments with gut strings, natural trumpets and horns, Baroque bows, and performance practices like ornamentation, notes inégales, overdotting, and rhetorical phrasing. The sound is clear, articulate, and texturally transparent, with terraced dynamics and continuo-driven harmony that emphasizes affect and musical rhetoric.

A Passion is a large‑scale sacred musical genre that sets the Gospel narrative of Christ’s suffering and crucifixion (the Passion) to music. It originated as liturgical chant and evolved into elaborate polyphonic and Baroque oratorio forms. Typical Baroque Passions feature an Evangelist (tenor narrator) who declaims the biblical text in recitative, solo roles for Jesus (Christus) and other characters, congregational-style chorales, reflective arias, and dramatic "turba" choruses representing the crowd. Earlier Renaissance Passions are often austere and predominantly choral, while Catholic traditions favored Latin and Protestant (especially Lutheran) Passions used vernacular German. Passions were historically performed during Holy Week, often in two parts surrounding a sermon, and are among the most revered monuments of Christian sacred music.