Tiorba Arpeggiata

The theorba is a unique musical instrument that captivates listeners with its low and gentle sound. It was first heard in Almaty not so long ago, but since then this unusual instrument has captured the attention of many listeners.

The music agency «Dala Classica» invites lovers of musical discoveries to Marina Belova’s concert «Tiorba Arpeggiata»

Familiar to all lovers of baroque music as a member of the basso continuo group in orchestras and ensembles, the theorba can also boast an interesting solo repertoire, covering the entire 17th century, and consisting of Italian and French music.

An important feature of the theorba, which distinguishes it from other instruments of the lute family, is its inversion tuning, due to which passages sound on it like on a harp. All composers who wrote for the theorba used this technique, which has a poetic name campanelli - “bells”. Another recognizable technique of playing the theorbo is the arpeggio. The most famous piece for theorbo is “Toccata arpeggiata” by Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger, which gave the name to this concert program.

All the pieces in the program are selected in such a way as to reveal the musical possibilities of the theorbo as a solo instrument both in the original repertoire and in transcriptions. The centerpiece is the cello suite No. 2 in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is surrounded by compositions by such Italian composers as Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger, Alessandro Piccinini and Bellerofonte Castaldi. French music will also be performed several pieces by Robert de Visée, “Les Sylvaines” by François Couperin and “Human Voices” by Marin Marais.

Marina Belova is a Russian lute player. Her repertoire includes works for Renaissance and Baroque lute of the 16th-18th centuries, as well as music for theorbo and Baroque guitar. As a guest musician, she performs with various ensembles, such as «Gnessin Baroque», «Pratum Integrum», «Musica Viva», «La Voce Strumentale», «Alta Capella», «Questa Musica» and others. In 2019, Marina won the lute competition «Maurizio Pratola» (Italy, L'Aquila). Studied with Andrey Chernyshov, with whom she is the founder and teacher of the "First Lute School". In 2023, she graduated from the Verona Conservatory (Italy) in the class of Franco Pavan.

In addition to concerts in Russia, she has played solo concerts at festivals: Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht (Netherlands, 2023), Festiv'Alba, La Riccitelli, Grandezze & Meraviglie, Concerti Barattelli (Italy, 2022), Fondazione Ugo e Olga Levi and Associazione Musicale Karl Jenkins (Italy, 2023), Festival Alte Musik Zürich (Switzerland, 2021), “Festival Barocco Alessandro Stradella di Viterbo e Nepi” (Italy, 2019).

Concert program:

Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger - Toccata VII

Alessandro Piccinini - Toccata VI

Alessandro Piccinini - Toccata cromatica

Bellerofonte Castaldi - Arpesca gagliarda

Alessandro Piccinini - Chiaccona

Carl Friedrich Abel - Arpeggio WV A1:A28*

Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger - Passacaglia

Johann Sebastian Bach - Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008*

Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande,

Menuette I&II, Gigue

Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger

Toccata arpeggiata, Toccata III, Colascione, Canario

Robert de Visée - Prelude

François Couperin - Les Sylvaines*

Marin Marais - Les Voix Humaines*

Robert de Visée - Muzette, Chaconne

The compositions marked with an asterisk* were written for viola da gamba and cello and were arranged for theorbo by Marina Belova.

The organizer has the right to make changes to the concert program.