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Madonna Mia!

Rome, 17th century. A city of splendour, devotion, and restless creativity. Enter Christina of Sweden: a queen without a kingdom, who trades her throne for a new realm—the arts. Her salons become a meeting place for poets, painters, and musicians; her influence shapes an entire generation.

At the same time, Rome pulses with Marian devotion. Antiphons such as Salve Regina and Ave Regina caelorum echo through its churches, offering comfort, hope, and protection. In this programme, Christina and Mary appear as parallel figures: one the queen of heaven, the other a patron-queen who finds her spiritual home in Rome.

The music of Carissimi, Melani, Stradella, Pasquini and Scarlatti unfolds within this world of splendour and searching. Sacred drama, daring harmonies, lyrical intimacy, and radiant counterpoint trace a journey from contemplation to exaltation—revealing how, in Baroque Rome, faith and art intertwined to stir both spirit and imagination.

Practical information
Composers
Melani · Stradella · Scarlatti · Carissimi · Pasquini
Instrumentation
SSATB and continuo (organ)
Duration
Around 60 min; can be adjusted.
Tuning
A=440 Hz, quarter-comma meantone
Requirements
Organ required. Continuo can be extended (e.g. with harpsichord)
Stage setup
5 singers plus continuo. Standard concert setup.
Performances
5 times (Oct 2025 – Apr 2026)
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Programme
  1. Melani — Quae est ista

    SSATB bc • Concerti Spirituali, Op. 3 (1682)

  2. Stradella — Ave regina coelorum

    SA bc • Composizioni Sacre da Chiesa d’Alessandro Stradella (Modena, Biblioteca Estense Universitaria, mus. f. 1140, cc. 41–48)

  3. Scarlatti — Toccata fuga in sol maggiore

    Org solo

  4. Melani — Salve regina

    SSATB bc • Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, I-Rism 94/19. A solo con rip[ie]ni A[lessandro] M[elani] (after 1667)

  5. Carissimi — O dulcissimum Mariae nomen

    TB bc • A. Poggioli, Delectus sacrarum cantionum 2–5vv (Antwerpen, 1652)

  6. Melani — Alma redemptoris

    SSATB bc • Santini collection: D-MÜs Sant. Hs.2658(11) (after 1667)

  7. Carissimi — Salve amor noster

    SA bc • Scelta de’ motetti da cantarsi [...] Parte Prima (1665)

  8. Pasquini — Variazioni dedicate a Monsignor Kaunitz

    Org solo • Ms. Wien XIV 74

  9. Scarlatti — Magnificat

    SSATB bc • Münster, Diözesanbibliothek, Santini-Sammlung, Sant. Hs. 3874. “Magnificat a cinque...”