VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Ars Lyrica Houston present a Gallery Concert: Monteverdi & the Venetian Style,  Saturday, May 21 at 6pm, in the Audrey Jones Beck Building, Gallery 220.

Titian, along with Raphael and Michelangelo in Rome, is considered one of the foremost artists of the Italian High Renaissance. Even during his lifetime, Titian (c. 1488/90–1576) was recognized as the most gifted and influential painter of the Venetian school and the only genuine rival to Apelles, the renowned painter of ancient Greece. The unprecedented sensuous effects of light, color, and texture that define his signature style are exemplified by his two exceptional masterpieces—Diana and Actaeon and Diana and Callisto—that form the centerpiece of the exhibition Titian and the Golden Age of Venetian Painting: Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland.

Like the paintings of Titian, the music of Claudio Monteverdi (pictured, 1567–1643) encapsulates the extravagant, colorful, and expressive style of the Venetians. Titian’s magnificent Diana paintings form the backdrop for this very special one-hour gallery concert presented by Ars Lyrica Houston. Sacred works and madrigals by Monteverdi, as well as instrumental works by his contemporaries and successors, celebrate the opening of the exhibition as Ars Lyrica Houston adds an authentic Italian Baroque soundscape to the visual splendor of Titian’s great masterpieces.

Helga K. Aurisch, MFAH curator of European art, will briefly describe how the musical selections are echoed in the exhibition. A reception to meet the performers follows.

Generously sponsored by Birgitt van Wijk.

Founded by Matthew Dirst, associate professor at the University of Houston's Moores School of Music, Ars Lyrica Houston specializes in the Baroque chamber repertoire and dramatic works from the era.