Kapsberger’s «I Pastori di Bettelemme» with I Bassifondi at Teatro Valle, Sunday, December 20, 2026

On Sunday, December 20, 2026 at 5 p.m., the ensemble I Bassifondi, directed by Simone Vallerotonda, performs Johann Hieronymus Kapsberger's «I Pastori di Bettelemme» at Teatro Valle, at via del Teatro Valle 21 in Rome, as part of the Accademia Filarmonica Romana season. The concert is billed as a Christmas concert.

Updated November 9, 2026.

The event

«I Pastori di Bettelemme» is a dialogue in music written by Kapsberger, who was born in Venice around 1580 to a German father and a Venetian mother and died in Rome in 1651, and who ranks among the great lutenists of the early Baroque. The work is considered one of the earliest and most representative examples of the seventeenth-century Roman oratorio and is dedicated to Cardinal Francesco Barberini, the composer's patron.

Divided into two parts, it tells the birth of Jesus and the announcement to the shepherds, and portrays the moods of the characters: surprise, bewilderment, fear and, after the angel appears, the joy of celebration. The voices are Francesca Boncompagni and Valeria La Grotta (sopranos), Silvia Vavassori (contralto), Luca Cervoni (tenor) and Rolando Moro (bass). Simone Vallerotonda directs from the archlute an ensemble that includes violins, cello, organ, theorbo and percussion. Conceived by Vallerotonda, I Bassifondi was founded in 2014 and focuses on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century music.

Where it takes place: Teatro Valle Franca Valeri

Teatro Valle Franca Valeri, at via del Teatro Valle 21, is one of the venues of the Filarmonica Romana's 2026/2027 season, alongside Teatro Argentina, Teatro Olimpico, Sala Casella and the gardens of its headquarters. On the theater and its program there is the page Teatro di Roma, 2026-2027 season, and for another Filarmonica concert in December there is Trio Concept at Teatro Argentina.

Practical information

• Date: Sunday, December 20, 2026
• Time: 5 p.m.
• Venue: Teatro Valle, via del Teatro Valle 21, Rome
• Information: on the website of the Accademia Filarmonica Romana
• Getting there: use the ATAC route planner

Frequently asked questions about I Pastori di Bettelemme

What kind of concert is it?

A Christmas concert by the Accademia Filarmonica Romana featuring a seventeenth-century oratorio by Kapsberger.

Who is performing?

The ensemble I Bassifondi, directed by Simone Vallerotonda, with five solo singers.

What is the work about?

The birth of Jesus and the announcement to the shepherds, in a dialogue in music divided into two parts.

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