The X-tet: Sounds of Italy
The X-tet returns for “Sounds of Italy,” an evening of Italian chamber music spanning four centuries of Renaissance and Baroque repertoire. The program features Grammy Award-winning soprano Amanda Forsythe and viola da gamba player Cristiano Contadin, alongside instrumental works for strings, theorbo, and harpsichord.
The concert moves from rarely heard music by Maria Teresa Agnesi, Antonio Archilei, Dario Castello, and Antonio Bertali to celebrated works by Albinoni, Vivaldi, and Handel. It also includes the folk-inspired Tarantella del Gargano and concludes with Colin Jacobsen’s contemporary composition *Morgantina Studies*, which draws on the excitement of archaeological discovery and the musical dialogue between historical traditions and the present.
When: Friday, November 13, 2026, and Saturday, November 14, 2026.
Showtimes: Both performances begin at 7:30 PM.
Venue: Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Seully Hall, 8 Fenway, Boston, MA 02215.
Tickets: $30–$70.
Run time: Approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.
Artists: Amanda Forsythe, soprano; Cristiano Contadin, viola da gamba; Christina Day Martinson, violin; Jesse Irons, violin; Sarah Darling, viola; Jason Fisher, viola; Cullen O’Neil, cello; Michael Leopold, theorbo; and James Kennerley, harpsichord.
Program: The selections are Maria Teresa Agnesi’s “Deh temprate, oh sommi Dei” from *Ulisse in Campania*; Dario Castello’s *Sonata Quarta*; Antonio Bertali’s *Sonata à 6 in D minor*; Tomaso Albinoni’s *Sinfonia a cinque* (Fifth Symphony), including its Grave, Allegro, Adagio, and Allegro movements; Antonio Vivaldi’s *Concerto for Violin and Viola da Gamba in A major, RV 546*; Antonio Archilei’s “Dalle più alte sfere” from *La pellegrina*; George Frideric Handel’s *Armida abbandonata, HWV 105*; Johann Adolph Hasse’s “L’augelletto in lacci stretto” from *Didone abbandonata*; the anonymous *Tarantella del Gargano*; and Colin Jacobsen’s *Morgantina Studies*.
Handel selection: *Armida abbandonata* includes the recitative “Dietro l’orme fugaci,” the aria “Ah! crudele, e pur ten’ vai,” the recitative “Per te mi struggo, infido,” the recitative “O voi, dell’incostante e procelloso mare orridi mostri,” the aria “Venti, fermate, sì, nol sommergete,” the recitative “Ma che parlo, che dico? Ah ch’io vaneggio!,” and the aria “In tanti affanni miei.”
Morgantina Studies: Jacobsen’s closing work is organized around “Excavations,” “The Thrill of Discovery,” “A Closer Examination,” and “A Final Reveal.”
Program note: The selections and their order may change.
Musical background: The program highlights Italy’s influence on both early instrumental music and expressive vocal writing. Handel’s Italian-period experience shaped the dramatic lyricism of works such as *Armida abbandonata*. Vivaldi’s Venetian style is represented by music known for virtuosity, vivid contrast, melody, and rhythmic energy. Castello’s sonata reflects the experimental, rhetorically expressive instrumental language that helped establish the early Baroque, while Albinoni’s music is associated with graceful melodies, transparent textures, and lyrical elegance.
Featured composers: Maria Teresa Agnesi was an eighteenth-century Italian composer, harpsichordist, and singer whose operas, cantatas, keyboard works, and sacred music combined dramatic expression with late-Baroque elegance. Antonio Archilei was a late-Renaissance composer, singer, and lutenist connected to the Medici court in Florence and to the development of expressive solo song and early opera. Antonio Bertali, an Italian composer and violin virtuoso active at the Vienna court, was known for instrumental writing that balances lyrical warmth, intricate interplay, and contrasting textures. Colin Jacobsen is an American violinist, composer, and arranger whose work brings together classical traditions, folk influences, improvisation, and musical practices from around the world.