Though little-known today, Ferdinand VI was Spain’s most musical monarch. At their palaces at Aranjuez and Madrid, Ferdinand and his Portuguese-born wife Queen Maria Bárbara de Bragança employed an army of Spanish and Italian musicians and artists that easily rivaled those at the equally music-obsessed courts of Louis XV or Frederick the Great. Among the king’s musical entourage was Farinelli, the famed castrato who had originally come to Spain to soothe Ferdinand’s father’s melancholy with his voice, and Domenico Scarlatti, who had been the Queen’s harpsichord tutor since the age of ten. This program will offer a glimpse into the public and private musical life of the royal couple, with operatic and orchestral music by Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian composers including Scarlatti, José de Nebra, Carlos de Seixas, Nicola Conforto, Luigi Boccherini, and others.
Per policy of both ABO our venue, masks will be required for all in attendance and social distancing opportunities will be provided. These protocols, and our performing season, will be re-evaluated on a continual basis and are subject to change.