On a January evening, in the depths of winter, nothing is more restorative than a touch of sunshine straight from Venice. During the Baroque era, La Serenissima represented the greatest concentration of vocal and instrumental virtuosity. Both the coloratura arias of the operas of the time and concertos for one or more instruments possess an energy capable of awakening us from even the deepest apathy. In the aria Con fiamme, con stragi from Lotti’s Giove in Argo, the heroine burns with anger. Rage, but also despair, fills the title character of Vivaldi’s L’Atenaide, whom the composer portrays in the highly dramatic recitative Qual demone as a woman on the brink of madness. In Mio cor, s’io ti credessi, meanwhile, Vivaldi vividly evokes a woman’s heart trembling with jealousy not only through soprano’s coloratura writing, but also through a string accompaniment confined entirely to the upper register.

The instrumental concertos framing these arias offer similar emotional contrasts. At times dazzlingly virtuosic, at others cantabile in character, they bear witness to the remarkable development of violin technique during the period. To experience this for yourself, it is well worth taking a musical journey to Venice with a guide such as Martyna Pastuszka.