An Outburst of Improvisors: The 17th-century Invention of Modern Music

Concerto Incognito unites two longtime collaborators in their SoHIP debut. This dynamic new program explores music of 17th-century Italy—a hotbed of musical experimentation, where musical improvisors were breaking old rules and inventing new ones to create a new expressive and virtuoso music for both singers and instrumentalists. Concerto Incognito dives into these improvisatory practices in an intimate program for two, featuring instrumental covers of songs by Frescobaldi, Monteverdi, and Strozzi, with diminutions and improvisations by the performers; compositions and mash-ups on grounds by S. Rossi and Frescobaldi; solo harpsichord music by Frescobaldi and M. Rossi; and violin sonatas by Castello, Marini, and Uccellini.

Concerto Incognito:
Dana Maiben, violin
Vivian Montgomery, harpsichord