The Red Priest is a baroque ensemble who perform in an inimitable dynamic, theatrical style, named after Antonio Vivaldi who was ordained at the outset of his career and nicknamed “Il Prete Rosso” on account of his red hair.

Here we have music by the Red Priest himself, with works by the composers he influenced with his many concerti and sonatas; fellow Italians such as Albinoni and Tartini alongside Handel who included the country in his youthful travels and Bach and Telemann who studied Vivaldi’s music from afar.

Vivaldi’s hundreds of concerti and sonatas standardised the forms, influencing all Italian composers who followed him as well as German composers such as Handel, Telemann and Bach, who arranged many of his concerti for organ or harpsichord and whose own music blended the new dynamic Italian style with French influences. Amongst the music of these familiar composers, Red Priest will also introduce us to less well known names: Joseph-Nicholas Pancrace Royer, Henry Eccles and Gaspar Sanz.