On September 14, 2020, the “Moscow Virtuosi” State Chamber Orchestra presented a new project — a mystery concert “The Four Seasons. Reinterpretation”.

The conceptual program combines the music of the Baroque era with works of the 20th century. The climax of the evening is the performance of The Four Seasons by Max Richter, a contemporary composer who, in 2012, recomposed the famous Antonio Vivaldi cycle. The visual accompaniment is an animated video created specifically for the project by artists from Canada.

“To mark the beginning of the new season, we have decided to create a special, unusual project. This is not just a concert where the orchestra performs a number of pieces. This is a philosophical performance inspired by the idea of reinterpreting the music of previous epoques. The style and ideas of Bach, Purcell, Lully, Dowland, and Vivaldi are very modern. And we want to build an arch between them and the 21st century, to invite our listeners to discuss this topic together. The guides here will be Eugène Ysaÿe, who had a dialogue with Bach in his work in the 20th century , and Max Richter, whose The Four Seasons had inspired us to create this project, ” says the author of the concert idea, Honored Artist of Russia Sergey Bezrodny.

Max Richter has made a breakthrough in the art of music. He has recorded 12 solo albums, performed at the London Barbican, the Paris Philharmonic, the Sydney Opera and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and among his projects are the “Sum” opera and the “Infra” ballet (choreographed by Wayne MacGregor) at Covent Garden. Richter’s music is heard in many performances around the world, as well as in the films “Shutter Island” by Martin Scorsese, “Perfect Sense” by David Mackenzie, “Waltz with Bashir”, for the soundtrack to which he received the award “Best Composer” from the European Film Academy . “Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons” is one of the most famous works of the composer. After its release in 2012, the recording topped the classical music charts in over 20 countries.

The “Moscow Virtuosi” have become one of the few performers of Richter’s “The Four Seasons” in Russia. The solo part was played by the orchestra’s first violin, Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Lundin.

The program is performed without a conductor.