Camerata - Four Seasons Re-Imagined

Post

Subscribe

Wed 17 Jul 2024

Enjoy the compelling magic of Chamber Music as Camerata bring their latest Show, Four Seasons Re-Imaginedx to the Redland Performing Arts Centre (RPAC) on 17 July 2024 for a memorable evening of classical sounds.



Just in case you are not familiar with musical masterpiece, The Four Seasons, you may be wondering why it is so significant and why a musical group in Brisbane may embark on re-imagining it. Created between 1718 - 1720, Italian baroque, musical composer, Antonio Vivaldi imagined four sensual and atmospheric violin concertos depicting the seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.



Galaxy Music described it in this way: "Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons," sits at the very pinnacle of classical music alongside Beethoven's “Fifth Symphony.” With greatness so pristine, its merit will never be bounded by time, but only through the genius of its creator.

Now Queensland's Chamber Orchestra, Camerata which was formed in 1987 by educator Elizabeth Morgan, is re-imagining this classic piece to bring to Queensland audiences.

I asked Brendan Joyce, Artistic Director and First Violin about the upcoming production of Vivaldi Re-imagined and here's what he had to say.

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is such a well-known and beautiful piece. How are you re-imagining it in a new direction?

The concert includes a part of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, but it includes many other versions that were inspired by it, including some of Max Richter’s smash hit piece, “Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, ‘Autumn’” and Astor Piazzola’s sensual, tango inspired “Four Seasons in Buenos Aires, ‘Spring’” and there is fun American folk fiddler version by Mark O’Connor and a subtle, delicate one by Roxanna Panufnik that evokes the middle of a Tibetan winter. 

It’s just an incredible lineup of music and features Camerata’s players in solo roles – I thought long and hard about who plays what solo and think you’ll see and hear all their individual personalities on show and their cleverness.  

 

You are bringing Joel to join the show. How did that collaboration come about and what does Joel bring to the sound and performance?

Joel Woods is a brilliant all-rounder, as a classical guitarist and banjo virtuoso, and he’s nifty on the mandolin too. I’m excited to include him on the program and actually, he was meant to be a kind of a surprise, but, there you go – the secret’s out, there’ll be an awesome guitar banjo player too!  I met Joel while he was a still a student at the Queensland Conservatorium and noticed his great abilities and promise and was delighted when he could join us for this. He and I are also North Queensland boys from way back, so I guess we have that slightly shared heritage.
 
Why do you think Four Seasons continues to speak to audiences so enduringly?

Vivaldi’s idea was an inspired one – music, something that can be abstract, but here evoking the landscape, a story or two and our shared weather patterns.  But look, it also continues to speak to people because this music keeps being played by orchestras all over the world. 

That's why ours is a reimagined version – we want to show everyone all the awesome music that has grown out of it too really is extraordinarily passionate, beautiful, and interesting. Everyone tends to identify with music that has narratives, and Vivaldi’s narratives were good but so are those of the other seasons we’ll present that night. 

I'm super excited to play this favourite program of ours (and audience favourite) in Redland Performing Arts Centre as the acoustic is so warm and beautiful and embracing, but also excited to play it in North Queensland at the Mackay Chamber Music Festival a week later as that's my heartland. (I was born in Ayr, a little further north).

The Program line-up for the evening is:
Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, “Spring”
Max Richter Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, “Autumn”
Nicholas Buc Rhapsody for All Seasons
Ray Lin Journey Through the Enchanted Landscapes
Roxanna Panufnik Four World Seasons, “Tibetan Winter”
Mark O’Connor The American Seasons, “Summer”
Astor Piazzolla The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, “Spring”
Wild Card Mystery Segment

What Else?
If you would like to hear Camerata's performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, tickets are $25-$50 and available online here . The Redland Performing Arts Centre is located at Middle Street, Cleveland. The Show starts at 7:30 pm. Camerata will also be performing the show at the Mackay Chamber Music Festival on 20 July 2024.

%wnbrisbane
#music
#indoor
#interviews
#brisbane
#art_culture
#classical_music
#concerts
#cultural_events
#history
#music_venues
#nightlife
#performing_arts
#shows