Classical music review

Tropical Baroque Festival concludes with vocal rarities

By Lawrence Budmen

South Florida Classical Review

Amid the Italian palazzo splendor of the Alhambra Ballroom at Coral Gables’ Biltmore Hotel, the Tropical Baroque Festival closed with a concert of Italian Baroque arias.

This year’s festival concentrated on vocal music, mixing rarities from the early opera and cantata literature with more familiar Baroque chestnuts. The final concert Saturday night featured a cantata by Francesco Mancini, an obscure Neapolitan composer, and the American premiere of two Vivaldi arias. Under the expert guidance of Donald Oglesby, an ensemble of five strings and harpsichord (with two horns added for Handel and Vivaldi scores) provided vital support for the singers.

Read the review at SouthFloridaClassicalReview.com.

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