Nobody had done what Antonio Vivaldi did when he composed "The Four Seasons" in the early 18th century, creating four short violin concertos that musically depict all the seasons of the year – including birdsongs in the spring, a summer squall, and the shivering cold of winter. Among the composers who were influenced by Vivaldi's now iconic work was Astor Piazzolla who wrote four works depicting his native Buenos Aires in "Cuatro estaciones porteñas" (Four Seasons in Buenos Aires) in the 1960s.
This weekend, the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra presents both masterpieces in two concerts called “Sultry Strings,” featuring violinist Luis Cuevas, and conducted by LCSO interim conductor Jorge Martinez-Rios. In a unique approach, the musicians will alternate between the seasons of the baroque Italian composer and those of the 20th century Argentine composer, taking audiences back and forth across two hemispheres and several centuries four times.
"Everybody loves The Four Seasons,” Martinez said in this interview with Intermezzo host Leora Zeitlin and Luis Cueva. “For our audiences, every time we play them they come out energized and inspired. But I think hearing both the Seasons by Piazzolla and Vivaldi, it’s going to give a special touch.”
Cuevas has played the music before, but “never all together,” he said. “I’m super excited,” adding that the challenge is switching his mind-set so quickly between the two styles and two pieces. Listen to learn more about both these master works and the musicians who will perform them.
The concerts are Saturday night at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Atkinson Recital Hall. All the musical excerpts come from the recording, “Eight Seasons,” with violinist Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica (Nonesuch #79568):
- Otoño porteño, by Astor Piazzolla
- Concerto in E major, Op. 8 No. 1 (Spring), by Antonio Vivaldi
- Concerto in F minor, Op. 8, No. 4 (Winter), by Vivaldi
- Primavera porteña, by Piazzolla