Nanaimo Chamber Orchestra, "Four Seasons"

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Saturday, March 2nd, 2024
2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

As March is ushered in, the Nanaimo Chamber Orchestra encourages the oncoming change of seasons with Antonio Vivaldi’s celebrated set of concerti, “The Four Seasons”. Guest artist will be violinist, Patricia Armstrong, a resident now of Gabriola Island and a musician of excellent pedigree. Patricia earned a Diploma in Violin Performance from Camosun College and went on to the Toronto Conservatory, influenced by artists such as Pinchas Zukerman and other international luminaries. She was an early member of Tafelmusik and subsequently played with Victoria Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, CBC Radio Orchestra and Vancouver Opera Orchestra (among others). She is currently violinist with the Vancouver Island Symphony.

The Four Seasons is a set of 4 concerti that provide a musical narrative describing elements of the seasons of the year, representing flowing creeks, singing birds, a shepherd and his barking dog, buzzing flies, storms, drunken dancers, hunting parties from both the hunters' and the prey's point of view, frozen landscapes, and warm winter fires. The work was composed around 1718−1720, when Vivaldi was the court chapel master in Mantua.

Four other works are also on the program: “Sinfonia for 4 (in B Flat Major)” by Baroque composer, Tomaso Albinoni, “Elegy for Strings, Op. 58” by Edward Elgar, and “Lyric Andante” by Max Reger and Haydn Woods’ “Cities of Romance”. The Sinfonia is one of many composed by Albinoni in the early 1700s. A short symphony, typical of the time, it comprises 3 movements; Allegro, Adagio and Allegro. Elgar wrote Elegy for Strings in 1909 as a commemorative piece, which is still played annually in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, at an evensong service, in memory of members who have died during the preceding year.[5] Lyric Andante (Liebestraum) is a beautiful post Romantic short piece composed by Reger in 1898. Woods characterizes each of Budapest, Venice and Seville in his suite, Cities of Romance.