The Grand Tour
An entertainment in pictures, words and music devised and narrated by Robin Simon with Alison Pearce, soprano and Benjamin Costello, harpsichord and piano.
The Grand Tour was the central cultural experience of the European educated classes in the eighteenth century. It centred on Italy and included all the major cities, especially Rome, Naples and Venice. Certain sights were essential, such as the Vatican, the frescoes of Raphael, and the classical sculptures that were being uncovered in increasing numbers.
Collecting was often lavish and the basis of many of the great collections were established during spending sprees on the Grand Tour. Music was a central part of the experience, and the innumerable letters and memoirs of the time record in great detail the operas, concerts, liturgies and festivals the ‘milordi’ attended.
The entertainment tells the story of the Grand Tour from its beginnings to its gradual decline, and brings the story up-to-date with a look at the present-day colonisation of Italy and its expatriate communities.
The music is performed by Alison Pearce, and the story illustrated by digital projection and spoken extracts from contemporary accounts.
Robin Simon is Editor of The British Art Journal and Art Critic of the Daily Mail, and well-known as a broadcaster on television and radio. |
