To most people, Vivaldi is best known for his Four Seasons. Of the 500 or so concertos Vivaldi wrote, these four have become ubiquitous for a reason: quite simply, they are just brilliant music. Scored for solo violin and string orchestra, their darting rhythms and sharp harmonic shifts lucidly depict the natural world. At the same time, they present a thorough exploration of the expressive possibilities the violin offered to the early eighteenth-century composer.
Living and working in Venice, Vivaldi was steeped in a rich tradition of violinist-composers. In this programme, we celebrate Vivaldi’s iconic collection in an evening that includes some truly effervescent music by other musicians who spent time in the city, tracing the emergence of the violin concerto from its seventeenth-century origins.
Superb solo violinist Nadja Zwiener.
THE TELEGRAPH
Programme
Featured Artists
The English Concert
Harry Bicket Artistic Director
Nadja Zwiener Violin
