Max Richter in Concert: Reimagining Vivaldi, Essay Example

The concert I chose to review captured my attention because it was a modern update of a well-known piece of music: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Composer Max Richter reworked the famous concertos by writing some entirely new sections. According to Richter, Four Seasons is so well-known and familiar that he became tired of hearing it, and he considered that some others might feel the same way (Huizenga, 2013). His purpose in re-working the concertos was to use some of the familiar melodies and structures and update them with new instruments, new musical sections, and some modern instruments like the synthesizer. Richter’s re-imagined version of Four Seasons “retains the basic shape, and much of the spirit, of the master’s original four violin concertos” (Huizenga) while still sounding fresh and new.

In order to better judge Richter’s version, I first listened to a performance of Four Seasons as performed by Itzhak Perlman (YouTube, 2014). As I listened to Perlman’s performance, I realized that I have heard Four Seasons (or at least parts of it) many times before in movies, television shows, and in other settings. Richter’s version begins with “Spring,” just as the original version does. The differences between the two are immediately apparent; the familiar melody played on the violin is still present, but it is no longer as prominent. Instead, it is stripped down to fewer notes, just enough to make it recognizable. New harmonies are introduced by Richter, and these harmonies are played with virtually the same intensity and prominence as the remaining melody. Although the main melody is mostly intact, the inclusion of the new harmonies makes it sound like an entirely new piece. The “Spring” section is also slightly subdued as compared to the original version; while the temp remains sprightly and bouncy, the conductor leads the orchestra in playing with more restraint. This has the effect of making the melody almost somber and less overtly joyful than the original.

As the piece progresses into “Summer,” “Autumn,” and “Winter,” Richter continues to balance familiar melodies with new melodies and harmonies. As the set of concertos near the end, the orchestra builds up the dynamic intensity, and the violin section plays more familiar lines that remind the listener of Vivaldi’s original composition. As the Four Seasons performance finishes, a lead violinist moves to center stage and plays an entirely new melody that is somewhat structured, but sound as if it might be improvised. The entire orchestra joins in, building the dynamic level much higher than it had been at any point during the first half of the concert. This half of the performance is based on an original composition by Richter titled Infra,and it begins with a performer on a keyboard synthesizer. The keyboardist has a laptop computer on top of the electronic keyboard, and as he plays he makes adjustments on the computer screen that change the sounds he is playing. The sounds he uses in this section are unusual for orchestral music, and sound as if they could be coming from outer space.  A listener who tuned in just for this section would likely never guess that Four Seasons was the musical centerpiece of the performance, as “Infra” sounds completely different.

This performance may not suit the tastes of every fan of classical music, both because it reworks such a familiar and popular piece of music and because it uses electronic instruments that are not normally heard in a classical orchestra. I found it to be compelling and enjoyable, however, primarily because it demonstrated that classical music does not have to be thought of as just a relic of the past. By incorporating new music and new sounds, Richter showed that any form of music can be vital and contemporary, and his reworked version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons honored the original while giving it a fresh new sound.

Works cited

Huizenga, Tom. ‘Max Richter In Concert: Reimagining Vivaldi’. NPR.org. N. p., 2013. Web. 24 Jul. 2014.

YouTube,. ‘Itzhak Perlman Vivaldi The Four Seasons Spring’. N. p., 2014. Web. 24 Jul. 2014.