Vivaldi Concerto in b Minor by Unity Baroque Orchestra Iraq

Vivaldi Concerto in b Minor
Violinist Marc Thayer leads a chamber orchestra in Iraq's first performance in Baroque Style. The Unity orchestra was comprised of over 150 musicians from all of Iraq's orchestras: Baghdad, Erbil and Suleimaniyah. The orchestra met and rehearsed from July 13 to 23, 2007 in a project organized by American Voices and funded by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad with additional support from Austrian Airlines and individual donations. More information and photos at http://americanvoices.org/projects/2007/unity/

Category:

Music

Tags:

• American
• Voices
• Baroque
• Vivaldi
• Marc
• Thayer
• Iraq
• Kurdistan
• Symphony

[americanvoices]

he is from st louis symphony orchestra

[psp8877]

Too bad there isn't a contrabass and a harpsichord. Great from the musicians who live in such a harsh place.

[americanvoices]

there are no harpsichords in Iraq (yet....) and this was the first time Barouqe music had been taught and performed in authentic style. the Kurdistan region is not that 'harsh' - lots going on here as they climb out of decades of conflict and isolation. they inspire us as their teacher and mentors

[psp8877]

Yes sir. Kurdistan isn't that bad. But I am sure many of the members of this assembly grew up in Baghdad. I grew up there and I remember many of them playing in the Iraqi National Symphony. Back in the day, they weren't given any attention. And after all what they've experienced during the the war and after the war. It's amazing to see them playing and performing. That's a proof that culture in Iraq will never die.

[americanvoices]

yes, this is a mix of players from all over iraq - North, South, East and West!

[vlnvlaclogbaerhpno]

really cool! not bad for using modern instruments and bows! i love how the violist is sitting in the continuo section! the cellist (and the soloists, for that matter) needs to be more in tune with what is going on so that mistakes like the one in the latter half of the clip can be quickly resolved, but this is a wonderful video nonetheless!

[americanvoices]

this was done in Iraq in 2007 on 4 rehearsals with limited everything from electricity to rosin....the musicians had never played in authentic style before and had rarely been challenged to learn something and perform it so quickly. normally they would take 4 months to prepare a similar piece at the Iraq work tempo

[counterpoint35]

@imbsuk

It is RV 580, or op. 3/10, and Bach composed an arrangement of this very same concerto, and all pieces that make up Vivaldi's op. 3. Bach's arrangement is for four harpsichords, and is BWV 1065

[WullopPornruangwong]

Great effort! May peace come to Iraq. May peace come to our world too.

[deronwlsn]

that bald guy was good!!! is he professional?

[imbsuk]

what number is this? I've heard it a million times and sure I have it on cd, yet I can't seem to locate it. For some reason I attribute it to bach