(c) FRANZHANS 06 Festival Orchester Berlin: Vivaldi's Four Seasons at French Cathedral
Berlin, French Cathedral — Main Hall
About the Event
Experience classical music like never before in this astonishing performance of masterworks by Vivaldi at Berlin's remarkable French Cathedral.
For almost 30 years, the Festival Orchestra Berlin, a multicultural ensemble of musicians from leading European orchestras, has been thrilling audiences with its repertoire of Baroque, Viennese Classical, and Romantic music, complemented by musical rarities. In this concert, the ensemble focuses on the music of the Venetian master Antonio Vivaldi. With his interpretation of the four seasons, he created a timeless work of art. A virtuoso violinist himself, the composer combined four violin concertos in 1725 to form “The Four Seasons.” The natural phenomena characteristic of each season are enhanced by different sounds. The music thus portrays nature, animals, and humans in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In addition to Antonio Vivaldi's masterpiece, this concert features other highlights by well‐known composers for violin and chamber orchestra. The orchestra plays on old Italian instruments, guaranteeing an outstandingly beautiful sound.
Program
- Antonio Vivaldi – The Four Seasons
Artists
| Orchestra: | Festival Orchester Berlin |
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French Cathedral
The French Church (Französischer Dom) is one of the three key buildings at the Gendarmenmarkt, the most beautiful square in Berlin. The church was built as a place of worship for the Huguenots, followers of the Protestant Reformed Church of France, who were persecuted in their own country and found asylum in Berlin in the reign of Frederick the Great. The French Cathedral stands opposite the German Church (or Neue Kirche), their identical domes and styles forming a stunning architectural ensemble. Unusually, in this location, 'Dom' refers not to a German 'cathedral', but to the French 'dome'. The building houses the Huguenot museum, a restaurant and a viewing platform that offers a gorgeous view of Mitte district of Berlin.
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi went down in history as a creator of the instrumental concert genre and the father of orchestral music. He was born in Venice on the 4th of March 1678. Vivaldi was a weak and sickly child suffering from asthma, however could not stop him from devoting himself completely to music. His father, Giovanni Batista a professional violinist, taught his elder son Antonio to play the violin. With his father young Antonio met the best musicians of Venice of that time and gave concerts in local churches. He also worked as a violin teacher and later as a music director at the orphanage Ospedalle della Pieta. Meanwhile he composed concertos, sacred works and vocal music and in 1713 he achieved great recognition with his sacred choral music. Vivaldi got captivated by the world of opera and worked both as opera composer and impresario at the Teatro San Angelo. In 1717 he obtained a prestigious position by the prince court in Manua as a director of secular music and worked there until around 1720. During that time he composed his world-renowned masterpiece The Four Seasons. In the 1730's his career dwindled as his music became unfashionable and the great composer died in poverty. It took the world two centuries to rediscover and reevaluate Vivaldi’s music, as it was buried into oblivion after his death. In the early 20th century many previously unknown works were found and immediately captured the hearts of the music lovers.
Address
French Cathedral, Gendarmenmarkt 5, Berlin, Germany — Google Maps
