There is something in the air in Europe around 1600.

In England, William Shakespeare is reimagining what theatre can be and do, in Spain, Cervantes is inventing the novel as we know it. In Italy, Caravaggio is putting humanity under the microscope: art is no longer picturesque and balanced, but is full of gore, agony, rage, lust. Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) is the musical companion to these great minds. Immersed in the music of his teachers, he concludes that harmonic beauty and proportion are not faithful mirrors of the richness (and messiness) of human experience, and - in his settings of poems of love, loss, anger, desolation, lust - gives us electrifying and exquisite depictions of the beauty and pain of what it is to be most intensely alive.

Please note that all attendees will be required to provide proof of ID and proof of immunity (e.g. fully vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 within previous 6 months). The comfort and safety of our audiences is of paramount importance as a part of the concert-going experience. Anyone not able to provide these items at the door will be refused entry, with no refund given.

Irish Baroque Orchestra receives principal funding from the Arts Council/ An Chomhairle Ealaíon. It is a resident company of the National Concert Hall, Dublin and a registered charity RCN: 20071233. Sestina is sponsored by Exitex Ltd. and receives regular funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

This event is supported by the Italian Institute of Culture Dublin / Istituto Italiano di Cultura Dublino.