Composer dedicates "In Vino Veritas" to the Napa Valley.
Expressing his appreciation for the warm welcome extended by the Napa Valley Chorale and their sponsors, Brazilian composer Henrique de Curitiba dedicated his cantata "In Vino Veritas" to the Napa Valley. Working with the musicians and artistic director Jan Lanterman during dress rehearsal, the composer declared that he wanted to make his work a memory to the wonderful days in California's wine country. "Cabernet and Merlot" (the theme of the first movement of his composition) "are the most famous wines of the Napa Valley," he said. "By including the name of the region in my work, I appreciate the exuberant welcome I received, my admiration of the fine wines produced here and of the sophisticated life style I am having the pleasure to observe and share."
The dedication is in the text of the first movement:
"Bonum vinum laetificat cor hominum,
bonum vinum per omnium:
Cabernet et Merlot laetificat hominum cor,
Napa Valley gives the joy of life, cor hominum."("Good wine gladdens the heart of men,
good wine for everyone:
Cabernet and Merlot gladden the heart of men,
Napa Valley gives the joy of life, (to) the heart of men.")
The second movement is a canon dedicated to Beaujolais Nouveau (France), the third a lullaby with a tenor solo celebrating Liebfrauenmilch (Germany), and the fourth movement a finale furioso extolling the virtues of Bardolino (Italy).