As part of the city's theater program, the Rheinische Philharmonie State Orchestra will perform Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons", newly composed by Max Richter, on Saturday, 29 April 2023, at 8 pm in the Idar-Oberstein City Theater. The orchestra will be conducted by Ning Kam, who will also perform as a soloist. There will be a performance of the piece at 7.30 pm.
The four concertos that Antonio Vivaldi published in 1725 under the title "The Four Seasons" are probably among his most popular works. And quite rightly so, as their combination of highly virtuosic instrumental playing and poetic content is always a fascinating listening experience. It is astonishing how programmatic the music is, because gentle winds and violent storms pass by the audience just as much as birdsong or a rough peasant dance. It is therefore no wonder that these concertos by Vivaldi have often found imitators or inspired other composers to write similar works. Astor Piazzolla, for example, wrote a similar cycle of his own.
The German-born British composer Max Richter takes a slightly different approach, as he takes Vivaldi's original scores and transforms them into something of his own. He paints over the originals, so to speak, or removes motifs from them that are still recognizable as the originals and yet are something new. In this context, the direct comparisons that can be drawn are interesting when the respective piece by Vivaldi directly meets the composition by Max Richter, which will be the case on this evening.
Ning Kam will perform as both soloist and conductor. The Singapore-born violinist, who has won numerous prizes, currently works as a teacher at the renowned Yehudi Menuhin School in England and has often performed with the Rheinische Philharmonie.
Tickets are available in advance at www.ticket-regional.de and at the usual advance booking offices. The box office opens at 7 pm.