Last Thursday, mezzo-soprano Arianna Lanci and lutenist Maurizio Piantelli guided the audience on a sonic journey that blended myth and Baroque, emotion and history.
The concert, On the Thread of Affections: Ariadne’s Dream, opened with the famous Lamento d’Arianna by Claudio Monteverdi, in which Lanci’s intense voice and Piantelli’s harmonic support made the protagonist’s despair and strength palpable.
The journey then continued with rare cantatas by Alessandro Scarlatti and Joseph Haydn, where Ariadne appeared at times vulnerable, at times proud, able to transform pain into awareness.
To intersperse the sung pieces, Piantelli offered the audience instrumental moments of rare elegance, performing solo compositions by Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre and Giovanni Bon on theorbo, archlute and Baroque guitar.
These interludes created the space for breath and introspection, amplifying the emotional thread of the evening.
The concert also paid tribute to three great Baroque women composers: Barbara Strozzi, Antonia Bembo and Jacquet de La Guerre herself, bringing to the forefront a female repertoire that deserves rediscovery.
Between voice and instruments, Lanci and Piantelli built a refined and intense dialogue, giving the audience the depth of an ancient repertoire with the freshness of their vivid interpretation.
When the last note faded, the hall was left in a silence, charged with emotion: a sign that old myths and music can still speak to hearts in the present.
