Evening of Vivaldi Sonatas at Municipal Art Gallery

A musical journey into the Baroque era, featuring works by Antonio Vivaldi, will take place on Saturday 10 October at 19:00 at the Central Corfu Municipal Art Gallery. The concert marks the 455th anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto, fought on 7 October 1571, one of the most significant events in Mediterranean naval history.

Performers include Maria Bozena Soueref on violin and viola, Georgia Anastasi on harpsichord and piano, and Eleftherios Karagiannis on clarinet.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741), born in Venice, was one of the most important figures in 18th-century European music. Although best known for The Four Seasons, he also composed numerous sonatas, concertos, operas and sacred works. His music is characterised by energetic rhythms, melodic inventiveness and a distinctive use of the capabilities of string instruments.

The concert’s connection with the Battle of Lepanto is primarily historical and symbolic. The battle of 1571 took place more than a century before Vivaldi’s birth. However, Venice, where the composer lived and worked, was a key member of the Christian coalition that confronted the Ottoman fleet.

For Corfu, the anniversary holds particular significance, as the island served as a strategic Venetian naval outpost at the entrance to the Adriatic and was directly connected with the military operations of the period.

According to a historical account published by the Corfu Museum, four Corfiot galleys, flying the flag of Saint Spyridon, joined the allied fleet in September 1571. The Corfiot commanders named in the account include Petros Bouas, Christoforos Kontokalis, Georgios Kokkinis and Stylianos Chalikopoulos.

The harpsichord, a characteristic instrument of Baroque music, evokes the sound world of Vivaldi’s compositions. The inclusion of the clarinet, an instrument that became established later, adds a further dimension of interpretative interest to this particular ensemble. However, it has not been clarified which works will be performed or whether the programme will include arrangements for the instruments featured in the concert.

The concert begins at 19:00, and admission is free.

ELENI KORONAKI