The daughter of a French wigmaker living in Mantua, mezzo-soprano Anna Giraud met Vivaldi in the same town. The young girl and the musician became friends, and he gave her lessons, which continued in Venice at the Ospedale della Pietà. Captivated by the girl who was to become one of the principal Prima donnas of the Serenissima, the red-haired priest composed for Anna - nicknamed "La Girò"No less than a dozen of his leading roles. "L’Anima Del prete rosso"who, as the Venetians called her, became the Prima donna of such major works as Griselda, Orlando, Alcina, Bajazet….

Without displaying the virtuosity of the great castrati, she was recognised for her many qualities: expressive singing, a flattering range in the lower register, the charisma and charm of an advantageous physique and, above all, a proven talent for acting, which earned her the praise of Goldoni. The period also remembered the aura of mystery and scandal that accompanied the supposed love affair between the master and his muse...

See the portrait of Anna Giraud on the Quell'Usignolo website