Four seasons

The awakening of Nature, the song of the birds, the dancelike joys of spring – in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons the violin chirrups and rejoices as if it were part of this vibrant natural spectacle. We can almost hear the blazing sun, the leaden heat, the shimmering, sultry air and the approaching storm, as if the mighty orchestra were itself the catalyst for the unfolding tempest that bring both menace and the promise of subsequent relief. And in their high spirits and exuberance, their rustic simplicity, their raucous drinking songs and their sylvan scenes, the strings play as if they were horns calling us to the hunt. Then the open fire crackles in the grate, the cold makes us tremble, and there’s a piercing, cutting wind as the violins become glittering icicles in the shivering chills of winter.

In the four fascinating violin concertos that make up his Four Seasons, Vivaldi presents all these musical images of Nature to his listeners, taking them on a journey in sound across the space of a calendar year. With Sherniyaz Mussakhan on the solo violin, the Swiss Orchestra here dedicates itself to what is probably the most popular work in music history, while contrasting this Baroque programme music with new folk music. The result is a highly varied programme that includes first performances of compositions by the folk-music greats Fränggi and Maria Gehrig (accordion and violin), Dani Häusler (clarinet), Nadja Räss (yodelling) and Christoph Pfändler (dulcimer). In these works, written specifically for this occasion, the composers thematise spring, summer, autumn and winter, and will also be the soloists in their own respective pieces, accompanied every time by the Swiss Orchestra. Each one of Vivaldi’s Seasons will immediately be followed by the corresponding new “seasonal” folk music composition, bridging the gap between classical music and new folk music in exciting fashion.

This concert is part of the Festival of Music organised by Andermatt Swiss Alps, and will take place on the Piazza Gottardo and on the Furkagasse.