The Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze is pleased to announce Nel segno di Apollo, a cycle of events between Art and Music organised in collaboration with the Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini di Firenze and the support of the Friends of David Association. The resign – curated by Prof. Fernando Scafati and Dr. Alessandra Nardi – is conceived to offer an original interpretation of the collections of the Galleria dell’Accademia.

The cycle will start on Monday 16 June (6 p.m.) with the event Scultura che canta. Lorenzo Bartolini e la musica. After the inaugural event, the event will start again in the autumn – on Monday 29 September and Monday 13 October, again at 6 pm.

Each meeting – lasting approximately one and a half hours – will be devoted to a dual reading of a work of art from the Galleria dell’Accademia, a dialogue between an art historian and a Conservatory lecturer – who will explore, respectively, the historical-artistic context and the historical-musical aspects of the work. In particular, the representation of musical instruments in works of art and the musical context of each historical period will be brought to the audience’s attention. Each meeting will conclude with a short musical performance by Conservatory students, either directly linked to the historical period or resulting from a musical reflection on the work of art.

Programme

Monday 16 June (6 p.m.) – Scultura che canta. Lorenzo Bartolini e la musica

The cycle of meeting Nel segno di Apollo will kick off on 16 June with the event Scultura che canta. Lorenzo Bartolini e la musica. The appointment is in the left transept of the Galleria, with a view of the Gipsoteca – which can be visited at the end of the meeting.

Prof. Alberto Batisti, lecturer in History of Music at the Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini di Firenze, and Dr. Giulia Coco, Art Historian of the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze, will discuss the art of Lorenzo Bartolini, the celebrated sculptor and great music lover. The sculptor’s multiple relationships with the musical world of the time and his international clientele will be highlighted.

The protagonist of the meeting will be the plaster sculpture group of Emma and Julia Campbell, portrayed in old-fashioned dress as they embrace and perform a waltz step. The two young girls were the younger daughters of Lady Charlotte Campbell, herself the daughter of the Duke of Argyll and a famous writer, who moved to Florence in 1816. The composition recalls Antonio Canova’s famous sculpture Tre Grazie, in the full-length cut and the affectionate embrace of the two sisters. The work was dedicated by Bartolini to John Flaxman, an English artist much loved by the sculptor. The plaster model is housed in the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze, while the marble version, purchased jointly by the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) and the National Galleries of Scotland (Edinburgh) was exhibited from 1991 to 2013 in Edinburgh and is now on display in London.

At the end of the meeting, the Quartetto Lycoris, composed by the students of Prof. Alina Company (Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini di Firenze) will perform:

Pavlos Misirlis, first violin;
Emma Pancini, second violin;
Natalia Khrenova, viola;
Allegra Britton, cello;

The Quartetto Lycoris swill play a selection of pieces by Franz Joseph Haydn: op.76 no.1 in G major, Hob. III:75.

Monday 29 September (6 p.m.)

On Monday 29 September, the second meeting will be held in the left transept of the Galleria.

Prof. Maurizio Biondi, lecturer in History of Music at the Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini, and Dr. Alessandra Nardi, Art Historian of the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze, will discuss the figure of St. Cecilia as the patron saint of Music, starting with the depiction of the saint in the altarpiece painted in 1575 by Alessandro Allori for the Ospedale di Santa Maria Nuova in Florence and now housed in the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze.

In the altarpiece by Alessandro Allori, Saint Cecilia is depicted from behind, seated in the foreground, with long brown hair and the portative organ under her arm. The Saint participates in the adoration of the Virgin with Child together with the Saints Lucy, Agnes, Apollonia, Catherine and Elizabeth, and the female personifications of the Active Life and the Contemplative Life.

At the end of the debate, the Ensemble vocale e strumentale of the Centro di Musica Antica, curated by Prof. Martino Noferi of the Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini di Firenze, will perform.

The Ensemble will perform pieces by G.F. Haendel, excerpts from Alexander’s Feast, or the Power of Music: an Ode in honour of St. Cecilia’s Day (1736) for soprano, strings and basso continuo.

Monday 13 October (6 p.m.)

On Monday 13 October, the first floor of the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze will host the third and last meeting – dedicated to the Ars Subtilior musical current in the sacred repertoire between the 14th and 15th centuries in Italy.

Prof. Guglielmo Pianigiani, lecturer in History of Music at the Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini, and the Dr. Elvira Altiero, Art Historian at the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze, will talk about the polyptych depicting the Incoronazione della Vergine tra santi, cherubini, serafini ed angeli musicanti, created in 1401 for the Church of Santa Felicita in Florence by Spinello Aretino, in collaboration with Niccolò di Pietro Gerini and Lorenzo di Niccolò di Martino. The theme of the depiction of processions of angel musicians in the altarpieces of the early 15th century and the polyphonic music of the period will be addressed.

The meeting will be concluded by the Polyphonic Ensemble of the Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini curated by Prof. Santa Tomasello, who will perform compositions by Paolo da Firenze (c. 1355 – 1436).