Il Giardino Armonico: Italian Baroque

Passionate, virtuosic and glittering with energy, the music of Antonio Vivaldi redefined the Italian baroque – and continues to astonish audiences today. But Vivaldi wasn't the only genius in that golden era, and in this fascinating film Giovanni Antonini and Il Giardino Armonico explore the byways and musical wonders of 17th- and 18th-century Italy. Performing on location in Sicily, they rediscover the ravishing, endlessly expressive music of Dario Castello, Biagio Marini, Tarquinio Merula and Giovanni Battisti Spada – Vivaldi's forerunners and rivals, rescued from the shadows and presented alongside electrifying performances of three of the Venetian master's own best-loved concertos.