New news about Agatha’s Cantata. What are people writing? What are people saying?
Elizabeth Anderson talks to Andy Park on ABC RN Drive – The Drawing Room – about an orphan in Venice …
Jason Blake writes in Limelight how the ACC is giving voice to an orphaned composer.
“A spine-tingling concert for an audience among the first few hundred people in the world to hear a reconstruction of a ‘lost’ 18th century work.” – Elizabeth Quinn reviews the ACC’s Hamilton performance on 13 April 2024 for Limelight
On ABC Melbourne Mornings – in the Chat Room. Virginia Trioli talks with Elizabeth Anderson and Douglas Lawrence about the 2021 discovery and reconstruction of Agatha’s Cantata
Barnie Zwartz writes in The Age about the “debut of a lost masterpiece”
Hugh Robertson writes in Limelight magazine “Elizabeth Anderson gives voice to an orphan girl taught by Vivaldi”
Elizabeth Anderson explains the reconstruction process in more detail in CutCommon
Carlo Oreglia speaks with Elizabeth Anderson on SBS Italian
The Australian Chamber Choir presents its programs, not only in Melbourne and on Australian Digital Concert Hall, but also in regional centres around Victoria. The world premiere of Agatha’s Cantata, written in Venice c.1732, took place in Terang, a town of about 2,000 people in Victoria’s Western District, on 23 April 2022, breaking some three hundred years of silence. Regardless of whether you measure in migli (a Venetian mile was defined as 1000 passi, or steps) or in kilometres, there isn’t anywhere on earth much further away from Venice than Terang. Music lovers drove for up to six hours to be in the audience for Vivaldi’s Gloria, Agatha’s Cantata. Performances then followed in Flinders, Geelong, Hamilton and Macedon. The ACC presented the European premiere in Venice on 16 July 2024. Other choirs have performed the work in Adelaide, Philadelphia, Frankfurt and Trondheim. Below are some comments from those who were in the audience at the world premiere in the town of Terang.
“Agatha’s Cantata was …
… excellent, vibrant, robust, uplifting. Thank you.” Jennifer
… magnificent” Bob and Eunice
… words fail” OS
… wonderful – worthy of being performed as often as the male composers of her time.” Kim
… delightful. Well done Elizabeth and all who collaborated to bring this gorgeous piece of music to our ears – too good to remain hidden away in a library for such a long time. What a heavenly gem!” Greg
… balm for troubled souls – just beautiful. Thank you so very much” Pam
… an ode to night shift workers! (“In the night, lift up your hands in the sanctuary”) It made me wonder about the girls who first sang it – their own complex circumstances, and whether the music lifted their hearts as it did ours.” Andrea
“We feel privileged to have this wonderful world premiere performance in our humble town (Terang)” Rob and Trish
“The ACC as usual was excellent, the program diverse, the performance smooth, refined and elegant… a great live performance pleasure.” Paul
“We feel privileged to be able to enjoy every concert that the ACC brings to Terang, and we feel especially privileged today” Denise and Kevin
“Beautiful concert. So wonderful to hear the first performance – 5 stars!” Caro
“Elizabeth Anderson has blended the missing solo parts seamlessly into the whole, producing an exquisite Cantata that belies the austerity of the façade of the Ospedale Della Pietà (the institution where Agatha lived, learned and worked). The audience was enthralled by this musical gem, which thankfully, is now available, after a gap of almost three centuries, to delight audiences for centuries to come.” Marion
Agatha’s Story – the documentary
The discovery, reconstruction and modern world premiere performances by the ACC of Agatha’s long-lost Cantata are the subject of a soon-to-be released documentary, produced by award-winning film maker, Catherine Hunter.