From Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, it seems that all manner of expressive concepts and contemporary symbolism can be drawn. It is indeed the mark of a living masterpiece that so many artists draw on it for multiple meanings, constipated purists be damned.
The final concert of the Festival Montréal Baroque 2025 presented a Climatic Crisis-linked modern version of the famous Four Seasons. On stage, in addition to the Pallade Musica ensemble, were characters evoking Nature and the humans who foul it. Between each of the seasons, a composition by Mathias Maute recalled the themes of the Four Seasons, but reworked to underline the current disruption of nature. The four solo recorder scores, often of formidable virtuosity, were impeccably rendered by Vincent Lauzer.
The choreography/staging had the good idea of not abusing the presence of the characters. Indeed, the problem I sometimes see with “collages” of choreography to existing classical music is the lack of ideas to accompany the music all concert-long. Here, the appearances were occasional, though numerous, leaving enough pauses to return to the music alone. The character of Mother Nature was continually present, but often in the background or hidden, like an observer. In short, the balance was right.
As for the music, Pallade Musica’s rough, even violent playing is to be underlined, as they built Seasons characterized by a rare emotional and physical intensity, often deviating from the principle of “beautiful sound” to get to the heart of their incendiary vision. On some notes, accuracy was sometimes lost, and this should not be overlooked completely, but transcending this fact, we were treated to a 21st-century post-punk vision, and an approach that, in truth, is not at all out of keeping with the current climate crisis.
Of course, this kind of attitude can be highly displeasing to self-proclaimed professors of good taste, such as those in a well-known Montreal daily. That’s to be expected. A recent review of the journalist in question drew a comparison with the same Four Seasons presented the same day by the Montreal Chamber Music Festival at the Maison symphonique, with the brilliant Kerson Leong as soloist (link to the article at bottom of the page). There’s no need to put the two versions back to back: their nature is totally different.
Leong is sovereign as soloist throughout (at Pallade Musica, a different soloist was featured in each season). He is one of the most dazzling violinists of his generation. He and his ensemble have indeed built a luminous and perfectly balanced edifice, tonally ideal and technically flawless. Pure, inspiring seasons.
But the underlying argument of this well-known critic is that this is the only way to conceive this masterpiece. Once again, I underline the mediocrity of his argument, as I did previously on another subject (READ THE COMMENT Diversity and inclusion are not punching-bags).
A masterpiece that couldn’t stimulate a variety of interpretations, and precisely the most extreme ones, would be condemned to gather dust. Everyone is free to appreciate or not, of course, but the insinuation that one way is justified and the other not is ridiculous.
Ultimately, these Four Seasons of Climate Crisis offer an original and distinctive commentary on the Vivaldi monument, trading “plastic perfection” for a provocative and memorable symbolic embodiment.
Link to the article mentioned above :
