BY SAMUEL COTTELL
Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons’ is often cited as the most widely recorded work of classical music. Max Richter’s Vivaldi ‘Four Seasons Recomposed’ were created in 2012 and released on the Duetsche Grammophon label in 2014 to much acclaim. While Max Richter discarded much of Vivaldi’s original material, there are certain musical phrases and motifs that are kept, but they are looped and phased. This year, a new version of the work called ‘Vivaldi Unwired’ is being performed in Australia by the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra under the artistic direction of Paul Dyer and special guest concert master, violinist Brendan Joyce. The work combines traditional instrumentation and electronics and Paul will swap his harpsichord for a synthesizer and an Apple Mac.
CutCommon caught up with guest concert master Brendan for a chat about ‘Vivaldi Unwired’.
Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ is such a well known and iconic musical work. What was your initial reaction to hearing Max Richter’s recomposed version of this work?
My initial reaction was ‘wow!’. It’s so beautifully done, the transitions from the original Vivaldi into the newer territory are seamless, and the soundscape is as fresh as the original Vivaldi — it’s actually electrifying!
Do you think recomposing the works brings them into the 21st Century, and the addition of electronics draws new audiences that might not have gone to a traditional performance of ‘The Four Seasons’?
Truth is, there is nothing new about so-called ‘recomposing’ of works. I mean, at the end of the day, it’s a kind of ‘remix’, and classical music has been remixing and borrowing for centuries. Think of Bach — he took Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins and turned it into a Concerto for Four Harpsichords. As far as I know, there were no court cases over that one!
On the electronics, I doubt that most people go along to hear the Richter realising there are any electronics — this aspect of the piece is subtle and is only really there to give more texture to the overall soundscape — so I don’t know that it draws new audiences. But I think younger audiences that attend might be impressed to see the use of electronics in a classical music concert, if they have gone there with a preconceived idea of what a classical concert is. You have to remember that classical musicians are some of the most versatile around — we play all kinds of music from all kinds of eras and genres. We are really adaptable. Musicians in other genres – say, pop, for example – are unlikely to participate in playing a Beethoven symphony, but classical musicians often play pop or are part of supporting pop acts.
As the soloist in these performances, do you have to approach them with a baroque performance style in mind, or is it more of a modern approach, or a mix of the two?
You are hitting a nerve there. I have grappled with this one as after all, Richter wrote it presumably with a so-called ‘modern’ orchestra and soloist in mind. It works pretty well to stand back from it and not try to paste preconceived ideas onto it, including preconceived or even accepted conventions for the performance of baroque music. In some ways, some of the orchestral music here is quite ascetic and needs that sort of approach, and then the solo line suddenly soars high and with very modern, almost overly-impassioned expression, as a total and thoroughly engaging contrast. The ‘Spring’ slow movement comes to mind.
Tell us a bit about the rehearsals and learning this work. Has it been a challenge to approach these and put them together?
Sometimes there are direct quotes of the Vivaldi and, if I’m not careful, I can forget to adjust it where Richter’s voice steps in. In ‘Winter’, for instance, he uses some different metres and you can really become derailed if you’re not concentrating. The orchestra is a such a fine and supportive bunch, and highly experienced, and with Richter’s really fine craftsmanship there is no insurmountable challenge here for them. We spend most of our year putting music together, so it’s only the lack of familiarity with what is a new work that presents a challenge.
How closely are the recomposed versions connected to the original work and what is the challenge of approaching them with ‘fresh ears’?
Richter’s version is an inspired fantasy on the original. I think of it as being like the child of the Vivaldi ‘Four Seasons’ — you can hear the weird mix of both parents in it, the family resemblances are really very strong. But then the music goes off on its own path, the family resemblance remaining but fresh new ideas appear.
Often in period instrument orchestras, the players like to think of putting themselves in a place in history where the music they are about to play is yet to be written. We look at it from ‘before’ instead of the usual vantage point for classical musicians, which is from ‘after’. I think, in this case, we are in one of those rare moments where we are looking back and forward, a set of eyes in both the front and back of our heads.
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra will present ‘Vivaldi Unwired’ in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne throughout May. More info www.brandenburg.com.au.
Image supplied.
