Vivaldi’s Four Seasons enchanted composer Max Richter as a child. Over time, he grew to dislike it for its omnipresence in movies, on television, in commercials. After awhile, he decided that he should have another “conversation” with the pieces, and created Vivaldi Recomposed. And it was a smash hit: he rediscovered his love, and the CD sold millions. But when that version became ubiquitous, Richter decided another chat was in order.
Welcome to Richter/Vivaldi 2.0, a project he calls The New Four Seasons. For this outing, he worked with violinist Elena Urioste and the ethnically diverse Chineke! Orchestra, using gut strings and lighter bows. And for good measure, Richter is playing a vintage Moog synthesizer. “We hear [The Four Seasons] everywhere—when you’re on hold, you hear it in the shopping center, in advertising; it’s everywhere,” Richter told NPR. “For me, the record and the project are trying to reclaim the piece, to fall in love with it again.” It is, as Richter said, “like seeing a sculpture from a different angle.”
So did it work? Violinist Urioste certainly thought so: “It’s rare that a project with so many people involved has such an incredible level of commitment. And the music-making has felt just so organic and lovely and warm and all the things you hope for in a project.”
May you also find this CD lovely and warm.