Rondò Veneziano is an Italian and Swiss chamber orchestra led by composer Gian Piero Reverberi and formed by him in 1979. They still tour to this day, despite Reverberi pushing eighty, and will be performing in Lucerne on 20th October. What is unusual about the ensemble is that, although specialising in forms of music from the Baroque and Classical periods, particularly the rondo, hence their name, they have a modern bass and drum rhythm section and synthesisers. Specifically, there are usually nine members: one bassist, one drummer, three violinists, one violist, one cellist, one oboist and one flotist. This updates classical orchestral compositions, both rearrangements of old works and new original pieces, into more of a classic or prog rock intermediary. Rondò Veneziano have always worn period costumes when performing, which distinguishes the group from any possible session musicians to create an extended orchestra for live performances; but for their album La Serenissima, released in English as Venice in Peril, the orchestra themselves sometimes appeared as robots in period costume for publicity events, reflecting the artwork of the album cover and thus aesthetically blending tradition and futurism. There is, then, with regard to tradition, a definite congruence with the exhortions of a certain poet-philosopher of Italian fascism to 'make it new.'
This is the third instalment of Erkenbrand's series on classical music, in which Fausto selects four of his favourite composers for Mr H, Wagenaar and I to discuss - although we often drift off onto other subjects, particularly the merits or lack thereof of Christianity.
A quick note: @17:40, I actually meant the band The Beautiful South's predecessor, The Housemartins.
In the second episode of Erkenbrand's mini-series on classical music, Fausto, Wagenaar, Mr H and I conclude our look at the history of classical music as we discuss the classical period and Romanticism. In the next episode, we will analyse four composers chosen by one of the panel.
I am one of the guests on a series on classical music currently being produced by the Dutch Alt Right movement Erkenbrand. The series will serve as an introduction to classical music and address why it is important for ethnic Europeans. This episode looks at the history of classical music from its beginnings to baroque. There is a brief introduction in Dutch and then the rest is in English. We also listen to a few pieces typical of their eras and discuss them.
If anyone is interested in the poetry by Lord Alfred Douglas mentioned from 1:04:32 onwards, it is the collection of sonnets In Excelsis (1924), which had been out of print for decades until I published it in Mjolnir Magazine Issue III.
