Indulge in a magical evening of musical entertainment making as London Concertante present the Four Seasons from two continents by Vivaldi and Piazzolla alongside works by Bach, Mozart and Pachelbel.
The UK based chamber orchestra, London Concertante, regularly perform up to and over one hundred concerts per year, making it the busiest ensemble of its kind in the country. Regularly selling out venues such as St. Martin-in-the-Fields and Southwark Cathedral, the ensemble performs in some of the most prestigious venues around Britain and abroad, with recent tours taking them to USA, Finland, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Spain and France. With their numerous recordings reaching great critical acclaim, the ensemble is continually regarded as one of the finest groups in Europe since their founding in 1991.
Enjoy a concert of two halves as the ensemble transport you between seasons, continents and eras with movements from both Vivaldi’s 17th century Italian Autumn and Winter and Piazolla’s mid 20th century Argentinian Spring and Summer from their own larger Four Seasons works. While Vivaldi’s Four Seasons are iconic for their tumultuous storms, virtuosic passages and stunning melodies that encapsulate the Baroque period, Piazzolla’s Seasons are some of the most well recognised and advanced examples of the ‘Tango Neuvo’ genre, full of excitable flourishes and fiery, dance-like rhythms alongside highly passionate, gliding folk-like melodies. Piazzolla incorporates several styles and influences into his new tango genre, respecting the traditions of the original tango, the addition of jazz harmonies, and, of course, nods to the original Four Seasons composer, Antonio Vivaldi, who was seeing a resurgence in popularity at the time of Piazzolla’s writing. Many comparisons can be made between the works, such as the three-movement structure of each ‘Season’ as well as numerous notable direct quotations, for example in the rapid descending ‘stormy’ scales, and the plucked ‘raindrops’ in the third movement of winter. Accompanied by equally stunning works, catch the ever-recognisable a beautifully crafted layering of Pachelbel’s Canon, a charming opening movement and energetic finale in Mozart’s delightful, yet compact, three movement Divertimento in D, as well as a richly textured and vivacious ending to Bach’s Violin Concerto.
If you don’t consider yourself ‘in the know’ about Mozart, Beethoven, or Bach, fear not, this is the orchestra for you. The London Concertante boasts an impressive audience record in which an impressive 50% of spectators are first time classical concert goers! The London Concertante has its audience laughing at jokes, gasping at virtuosity, moved by gorgeous string playing, and leaving with a smile on their faces.
“Just exceptional. If you’ve always wanted to attend a classical concert, but feared it would be snobby or dull, this is for you… Wonderful.”
- a happy audience member (December 2017)
“A perfect evening out. We loved it.”
- another happy audience member (November 2017)
“Heady stuff … thrilling virtuoso playing. Exciting listening”
- Gramophone Magazine