Eight Seasons

Eastern Daily Press
Norwich Evening News

Eastern Daily Press
Ever innovative Sinfonia fuse a range of styles
by Michael Drake
21 October 2009

Connect Italy and Argentina; Vivaldi and Piazzolla. Then double the Italian’s Seasons with Russian Leonld Desyatnikov’s arrangements of Four Seasons of Buenos Aires and there came a remarkable musical weld.

But the BS opening concert of the season began with Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. The Sinfonia always seems to trump te last performance I heard and so it was on Sunday as, directed by Jacqueline Shave, the tone colour generated was extraordinary and when added to the unfailing rhythmic quality.

In Osvaldo Golijov’s Argentinian tribute to Piazzolla - Last Round - two violins continually claiming rights over the rest of the two dozen strings before the slow movement reflected melodically.

So to the Eight Seasons, seemingly incompatible but which was a fascinating fusion of two styles. A light and nimble Italian spring gave way to a warm Buenos Aires summer - similar in approach but markedly different in rhythm though with references to the former in the latter.

Both composers call for virtuoso solo playing and the BS director, Miranda Dale, Beatrix Lovejoy and Thomas Gould provided that in abundance. Winters held no terrors and there were radiant autumns.

Innovative as usual, the Britten Sinfonia were again an entertainment par excellence.


Norwich Evening News
Review
by Rob Garratt
20 October 2009

In 1725 Antonio Vivaldi wrote the Four Seasons, a much-loved group of four contrasting violin concertos that reflect the varying flavours of each quarter of the year.

More than 250 years later, and hundreds of miles away, Astor Piazzolla wrote his own tribute to the piece - The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires - which took the concept and flavour of Vivaldi’s work and recast it in the tango of his homeland.

This year the Britten Sinfonia took both works and played them not just alongside each other, but intermingled, with an Argentina summer followed by an Italian one, before moving back to Argentina for Autumn.

It is this kind of brave programming that is helping the Britten Sinfonia keep alive the idea of the orchestra in the 21st century. 

The first concert drawn from this season’s residency at the Theatre Royal, the playing was evidently world class. Playing without a conductor, Jacqueline Shave shone as the lead violin, and soloist on both takes on Spring.

It would take a conservatory-based violinist to choose between the soloists, but to my ear it was the two evocative Summers that gave Miranda Dale the greatest chance to pull on the heartstrings.

The programme also featured a joyful reading of Bach’s third Brandenburg Concerto, while a tribute was paid to Piazzolla with Golijov’s Last Round, a rousing tango contest where two quartets confront each other.