| Marimba: Alasdair Malloy |
Great concert...exhilarating music by
Vivaldi & Piazzolla
Symphonia Academica, one of England's most versatile string chamber music ensembles, performed not only The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi but also The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires by Astor Piazzolla, the king of the Argentine tango.
Vivaldi's work, published in 1725, needs almost no introduction. Nigel Kennedy's 1989 recording of the four baroque violin concertos sold more than two million copies.
Piazzolla's Seasons are very different musical compositions. They were originally written for a cabaret band between 1965 and 1970.
The mischievous pairing of Vivaldi and Piazzolla offers exactly the type of variety that the Symphonia Academica musicians enjoy. Violinist Peter Bussereau, the ensemble's artistic director, says that despite their forbidding-sounding name, Symphonia Academica like to present musical programmes that are "accessible, bright and melodic - we give a wide berth to the turgid and obscure".
They played---
Astor Piazzolla (1921 - 1992)
Cuatros Estaciones Portenos (Four Seasons of Buenos Aires)
Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741)
Concerto No. 1 in E major, op.8, RV269
"Spring" (La primavera)
1. Allegro non molto
2. Adagio e pianossimo sempre
3. Allegro pastorale
Concerto No. 3 in G minor, op.8, RV315
"Summer" (L'estate)
1. Allegro
2. Largo e piano - presto e forte
3. Presto
Concerto No. 3 in F major, op.8, RV293
"Autumn" (L'atunno)
1. Allegro
2. Adagio molto
3. Allegro
Concerto No. 4 in F minor, op.8, RV297
"Winter" (L'inverno)
1. Allegro non molto
2. Largo
3. Allegro
