The Four Seasons: Vivaldi & Piazzolla — Musica Viva Moscow Chamber Orchestra

The theme of the changing seasons has always been popular in music. However, it was Antonio Vivaldi who first brought this idea to life by creating his famous cycle The Four Seasons. The work became not only the composer’s signature piece but also the most celebrated composition of the Italian Baroque.

In his cycle, Vivaldi invites listeners to experience the beauty of Italian nature throughout the seasons and, in a broader human sense, the cyclical nature of life and the changing moods that accompany different stages of our lives. Each concerto is preceded by a sonnet written by Vivaldi himself. With wit and vivid detail, the sonnets describe the scenes portrayed in the music, reflecting the pastimes and joys associated with each season.

Two and a half centuries after Vivaldi, Argentine composer and “King of Tango” Astor Piazzolla created his own Four Seasons. He enriched traditional tango with elements of jazz and folk music. His composition The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires tells the story of the emotions and experiences of an ordinary person in a big city.

Between 1996 and 1998, Russian composer Leonid Desyatnikov created a relatively free violin transcription of the work, accompanied by a string orchestra. His arrangement made the connection between Vivaldi’s and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons particularly apparent, incorporating several quotations from Vivaldi’s original cycle into each movement.

Since then, the striking combination of a Baroque concerto and Argentine tango has become something of a tradition. Vivaldi’s and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons are performed together for good reason: filled with changing colors and moods, vivid melodies and expressive solo passages, the two works complement and enhance one another.

We invite you to compare the music of winter, spring, summer and autumn in 18th-century Italy and 20th-century Buenos Aires. Accompanying you on this journey through centuries and continents will be the Musica Viva Moscow Chamber Orchestra — one of Russia’s leading ensembles, renowned for its distinctive artistic voice and versatility in performing music across a wide range of styles and genres.

The featured soloist will be Elena Korzhenevich, a talented young violinist, winner of international competitions and participant in major music festivals.

Join us at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory to experience this captivating music performed by true virtuosos.

Program:

A. Vivaldi
The Four Seasons — Four Concertos for Violin, Strings and Basso Continuo

A. Piazzolla — L. Desyatnikov
The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires for Violin and Orchestra