Three concerts, each dedicated to a woman composerincluded the cycle of early music “Ex femina”, organized in the hall “Dimitris Mitropoulos” Athens Music Hall. February 23, on the second night, the program was dedicated to Isabella Leonard and in her time.

Born in 1620 in Novara, Isabella entered the Ursuline convent in her city at the age of 16, where she served, successively occupying higher positions. Her influence may be due to the fact that her family belonged to the major benefactors of the monastery. It is also likely that due to her high social status and her family’s financial wealth, she took music lessons. In a monastic document (1658) Leonardo is mentioned as a “music teacher”, while we know that about two hundred of her works were printed, which by the standards of that time was a significant number. These include all kinds of vocal works of religious music, such as motets, psalms, liturgies, as well as works of purely instrumental music. In fact, Leonardo is considered the first woman to publish sonatas.

Her Ergo 16 compositions include eleven “church sonatas” for two violins and continuo, but they do not follow the typical four-movement trio sonata structure established by Arcangelo Corelli around the same time. The evening included some of them, as well as the “How sweet you are” motet. The works have been set to music by contemporary (male) composers such as Maurizio Cacciati, Heinrich Ignaz, Franz Biber and Domenico Gabrieli. The music was superbly performed by experienced musicians in the genre: Fani Vovoni and Natalie Carducci (baroque violin), Jason Ioannou (baroque cello) and Panos Iliopoulos (harpsichord and also church organ). Mezzo-soprano Theodore Baca, who participated in a friendly manner, sang the motet expressively.

Vovoni gave expressiveness and spirituality to the particularly complex musical arabesques of the first of Bieber’s famous Rosary Sonatas, as well as to the virtuosic pages of other works. Carducci gracefully interpreted the opening slow movement of Leonardo’s Twelfth Sonata, an interior monologue of great expressiveness, and was just as effective in the light, lively counterpoints that followed.

The collaboration between the two violinists was exciting. Leonardo’s sonatas provide many opportunities for lyrical dialogue as well as more lively conversation. Vovoni and Cardutsi supported Jason Ioannou and Panos Iliopoulos. The participation of the church organ clearly enhanced the solemnity of the music, especially in the later parts. As for the religious feeling, today it is especially very personal and, if the listener has it, can enrich his experience, giving additional volume to works that are equally absolute music in the modern concert hall.