Antonio Vivaldi: THE FOUR SEASONS - plus works by G.F. Handel and J. Haydn

Antonio Vivaldi:
The Four Seasons

Georg Friedrich Handel:
Water Music, Orchestral Suite No. 1

Joseph Haydn:
Farewell Symphony

The renowned Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Prague - well known to audiences across Europe - presents three highlights from its extensive repertoire: two masterworks of Baroque music (Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" and Handel's "Water Music") alongside one of the defining voices of Viennese Classicism, Joseph Haydn, with his "Farewell Symphony". The three pieces were carefully chosen and arranged to form a coherent, satisfying programme that rounds off the evening with style.

Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" is arguably his most celebrated work. The composer, himself a virtuoso violinist, wove together four violin concertos, each depicting one season. Nature takes centre stage throughout: spring brings a tangle of birdsong from competing species; summer conveys oppressive heat and the longing for relief, then a violent thunderstorm, followed by the hum of bees and swarms of mosquitoes. A drinking song and hunting motifs paint autumn. Wind, rain, perhaps snowfall - set against warming by the fireside and a skater on the ice - capture winter's contrasts: the comfort of home and the raw world outside. Many great composers (Haydn among them) have tackled the four seasons as a theme, but the most inspired musical portrait of nature remains Vivaldi's.

The origins of Handel's "Water Music" are wrapped in colourful anecdote. The story goes that Handel, having moved from Hanover (a dynasty closely tied to the English crown) to London, performed the piece as accompaniment to a royal pleasure cruise on the Thames - a way of winning favour with his new sovereign, King George I. This account is, however, only documented for the second suite.