Hill Auditorium
Les Arts Florissants
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at 300
$15-20 student tickets available
When published in 1725, nobody could imagine Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons would become perhaps the most frequently heard music of all time. Yet today, 300 years on, the concertos remain as popular as ever.
Early music specialists Les Arts Florissants and violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte, whose baroque and modern violin mastery has been called “a stunner by any standard” (The Strad), celebrate the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s most iconic concertos, paired with music the composer would have heard in his time in Venice.
A colorful figure in Baroque Venice, Vivaldi was one of the most influential musicians in 18th-century Europe, captivating audiences with his extravagant personality and his virtuosic violin playing. The Four Seasons contributed greatly to the composer’s fame with its descriptive and imaginative writing.
The program frames the iconic masterpiece afresh, setting it alongside music the composer would have heard while he was growing up in Venice, and compositions that were, in turn, inspired by his bold artistic vision.
Program
Claudio Monteverdi Adoramus te, SV 289
Antonio Vivaldi Concerto for strings and basso continuo, RV 129 (“Madrigalesco”)
Marco Uccellini Bergamasca
Vivaldi Concerto in d minor, RV 813
Francesco Geminiani Concerto No. 12 in d minor “La Folia” (after Corelli)
Vivaldi Concerto in E Major, Op. 8, No. 1, RV 269 (“Spring”)
Vivaldi Concerto in g minor, Op. 8, No. 2, RV 315 (“Summer”)
Vivaldi Overture to La fida ninfa (“The Faithful Nymph”), RV 714
Vivaldi Concerto in F Major, Op. 8, No. 3, RV 293 (“Autumn”)
Vivaldi Grave from Violin Concerto in B-flat Major, RV 370
Vivaldi Concerto in f minor, Op. 8, No. 4, RV 297 (“Winter”)
Valet parking will be available beginning 1 hour before the performance for $30 per car (cash only) on N University Ave in front of Hill Auditorium.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
PERMANENTLY ENDOWED SUPPORT
- Darragh H. and Robert O. Weisman Memorial Endowment Fund
TITLE SPONSOR
- Richard Caldarazzo and Eileen Weiser
SUPPORTING SPONSOR
- Sid Gilman and Carol Barbour
- Claire L. Turcotte
-
MEDIA PARTNERS
Buy Tickets
Les Arts Florissants
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at 300
Hill Auditorium
Starting at $14 (+ fees)
$15-20 student tickets available
CHOOSE A PERFORMANCE:
Buy Student TicketsOr call the ticket office at 734-764-2538
* Student, Senior and Group Discounts may be available
“Performances so special that I feel a changed man from listening” [Gramophone]; “A stunner by any standard” [The Strad]; and “Mesmerizing” [The New Yorker] – these represent common reactions upon encountering violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte who is rapidly emerging as a much sought-after violin soloist (on both baroque and modern instruments), chamber musician, recitalist, and conductor.
Théotime Langlois de Swarte studied at the Paris Conservatory under Michael Hentz, and became a regular member of Les Arts Florissants at William Christie’s invitation in 2014, while still a student. He has since appeared as soloist with the ensemble, and will perform Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” with them on North American tours in spring and fall, 2025. He has also appeared in recital with William Christie, including a 2021 recording of sonatas by Leclair and Senaille (“Generations” on harmonia mundi).
Alongside his instrumental work, de Swarte is emerging as a conductor. In 2023 he led performances at l’Opera Comique of Lully’s Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (with Les Musiciens du Louvre at Marc Minkowski’s invitation) and Gretry’s Zemire et Azor (at Louis Langrée’s invitation).
Théotime Langlois de Swarte is a laureate of the Banque Populaire Foundation. He plays on a Jacob Stainer violin of 1665 loaned by the Jumpstart Foundation, and an Allessandro Gagliano from 1700 on loan from the Zylber Association.
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