italy

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The 17th century is a turning point in the West. The élan provided by the Renaissance is dissipating and the reactionary forces are at work, consider for example the Counter-Reformation.

Nevertheless the human spirit prevails in spite of. This was a time of experimentation with new forms and new ideas. As the saying goes, it got better just before it got much worse and, hélas, finis.

At the Portuguese Institute in Rome António Carrilho plays Couperin, Bach, Telemann, Hotteterre and Handel.