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Finding Vivaldi in Vienna
Jean-Guy Carrier, author
This is the adventurous pursuit of the lost compositions of Antonio Vivaldi and his final burial place in Vienna, led by Tibor, an imprisoned Czech Marxist turned dissident signatory of the protest Charter 77. During his 10 years of solitary confinement, Tibor becomes obsessed with Vivaldi’s music. With the Fall of the Wall and his release in 1989, Tibor and his historian friend, Dr. Lenka Svoboda, decode clever clues and messages that guide them through the dark corners of Vienna and Prague. Their journey leads to the surprise discovery of lost Vivaldi concertos and the location of Vivaldi himself.
This story also explores the love between Vivaldi and the soprano Annie Girò, who conspired to secure a proper tomb for her lover when he died in Vienna in 1741, rather than have him consigned to a common grave. Indications left by Annie in a manuscript of Vivaldi’s music lead Tibor and Lenka to the end of their quest. The culmination of their journey is celebrated by Vienna and the world with the rediscovery of Vivaldi’s music and his mortal remains.