Vivaldi and Piazzolla | Four Seasons | 15 Nov 2015

The Orchestra of St John’s will perform an exquisite juxtaposition of the work of Italian Antonio Vivaldi one of the leading composers and a virtuoso violinist of the Baroque era and Argentinian born Astor Piazzolla a bandoneon virtuoso and master Tango composer.

Many will be familiar with the works to be performed, the musical arrangements of both Vivaldi and Piazzolla have been used extensively for TV adverts, music in restaurants and film makers love to include it in film sound tracks.

These are a few key points behind about the composers, the conductor, the violinist, the orchestra and the music:

Vivaldi
Piazzolla
Jan Schmolck
John Lubbock
Orchestra of St Johns
Programme
Charity – Age Concern Hampshire

Antonio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741)

Antonio Vivaldi served as a music factotum at the Pio Ospedale della Pieta in Venice
The institution provided care and education for abandoned, orphaned and indigent girls
There was a special emphasis on musical training
As well as teaching the girls to play violin Vivaldi composed hundreds of works for the girls to perform
Circa 1711 a Dutch firm published his first concertos
These were the boundary between old traditional church sonata’s and the new three movement concerto’s
JS Bach admired his work
In 1725 The Four Seasons was published in Amsterdam
A classic example of program music, Vivaldi’s compositions imitate the real sounds of the seasons

Astor Piazzolla (1921 – 1992)

Astor Piazzolla was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, the only child of Italian immigrant parents
It was the music of the arrabal (an immigrant slum) that shaped Piazzolla’s entire career
He had been a bandoneón virtuoso since his adolescence
Astor Piazzolla is considered to be ‘the greatest master of the modern tango’
He wrote his Four Seasons between 1969 and 1970
Despite similar titles Piazzolla’s Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas is very different
Piazzolla’s are all single movement works of a less regimented format
He combined his idiomatic writing for the instrument with a comprehensive knowledge of classical European composition and contemporary jazz to create Nuevo Tango, his brilliant reinvention of the genre.

Jan Schmolck violin

Jan Schmolck has performed with the Angell Piano Trio in a series of Bates Solicitors sponsored Hampshire concerts
He is the leader of the Orchestra of St Johns and Principal Second Violinist of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
Jan has guest led many orchestras in the UK, including the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Britten Sinfonia
Jan’s solo performances with OSJ have included Bach’s violin concertos, the complete Brandenburg concertos, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante and violin concerto no 5
Forthcoming solo performances include Brandenburg Concerto no 4 with James Galway.

John Lubbock

John Lubbock is well known as the founder and conductor of the Orchestra of St John’s.
He founded his orchestra in 1967, whilst still a student at the Royal Academy of Music
He has a life-long commitment to making the highest quality of music making available to those who might otherwise have had little or no musical experience
His players give around 40 concerts a year to autistic children and others with learning difficulties through the charity ‘Music For Autism’
He is a trustee of the Music for Life Foundation which enables gifted, but disabled musicians to access music making of the highest calibre
In the 2015 New Year’s Honours List John Lubbock was awarded an OBE

Orchestra of St John’s

OSJ was founded 48 years ago by its Director, John Lubbock, and its original home was St John’s Smith Square in Westminster,
Its concerts have featured world famous soloists such as Dame Felicity Lott, Sir James Galway, John Lill, Yuri Bashmet, Tasmin Little and Steven Isserlis.
It presents a series of ‘Proms’ in the Ashmolean Museum
Its musicians provide more than fifty musical events for children with autism and for adults with dementia.
The OSJ Young Performers scheme helps many aspiring professional musicians.

Programme

Vivaldi La primavera (Spring)
Piazzolla Verano Porteño (Summer)
Vivaldi L’estate (Summer)
Piazzolla Otoño Porteño (Autumn)
Vivaldi L’autunno (Autumn)
Interval
Piazzolla Invierno Porteño (Winter)
Vivaldi L’inverno (Winter)
Piazzolla Primavera Porteña (Spring)

Age Concern Hampshire

The concert is in aid of Age Concern Hampshire

A programme providing comprehensive information about the composers, conductor and musicians will be available on the evening.

Ticket and Concert venue information click here

This concert is also being performed:

20 November 2015

Vivaldi & Piazzolla at the Wimbledon Festival

St. Mary’s Church, Putney High Street, London SW15 1SN

21 November 2015

Vivaldi & Piazzolla with Jan Schmolck at SJE Arts

Saint John the Evangelist SJE Arts, 109a Iffley Road, Oxford OX4 1EH