(It’s probably the most popular Baroque music of our times.) The popular violinist Daniel Hope has gamely joined with the Konzerthaus Kammerorchester Berlin and conductor André de Ridder in British composer Max Richter‘s reimagining of Antonio Vivaldi’s most famous works, the four violin concertos collectively known as The Four Seasons.

Recomposed by Max Richter (Deutsche Grammophon) Yet I don’t want to condemn the efforts, especially when they are as fine as these two. Rather than extending the immortality of a masterpiece, these efforts, in my opinion, ground them in the here and now, thereby making them perishable. But on the other, some works are so beautifully wrought that I don’t see how tampering with them makes them more accessible to a non-classical listener.

On one hand, I think we’re frequently too reverential toward the music in the Western canon. Love is part of the impulse, I’m sure, which is manifest in the act of appropriation - much like, say, making a sushi pizza.Īnother factor must be a desire to overcome the modern gulf between composition and interpretation in art music. Yet one question keeps coming back: What exactly is the point? I’ve given both albums a chance by listening to them several times, at different times of day and the week, in different moods and under different conditions. There’s nothing new about composer transforming cherished old works to suit the tastes of the day. CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019.Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019.Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019.

Recomposed by max richter