In Venice, the young Vivaldi admired the splendid Saint Mark’s Basilica, where his father, a violinist, played during the church service. The monumental size of the church, its sparkling mosaics, and its motifs from the Orient and the Occident all made an impression on the budding musician. Although few traces of it endured into adulthood, his sacred work does reflects the magnificence of Venice. Majestic choirs and sensual melodies embody the living Holy Spirit in the City of the Doges. In the vespers programme, Leonardo Garcí Alarcón, the cantor of this solar baroque music has included both psalms and hymns: from Dixit Dominus to The Magnificat, this imaginary office restores the 'red-haired priest' as he was nicknamed, to his spiritual cradle.
