Avslutningskonsert: De Norske Årstidene

Vivaldi's The Four Seasons from 1723 is among the most famous and frequently performed works in the history of music. It is also sometimes performed in ways that require considerable freedom with Vivaldi's score, and one type of freedom is to play it on instruments other than those chosen by the composer. Another is to connect the music to traditions other than those closest to Vivaldi – or to find in Vivaldi's music and other traditions a closeness that may have gone unnoticed.

It is these impulses that lie behind this project. What would these popular concertos sound like if they were played on a Hardanger fiddle and filtered through the folk music tradition that still lives in Valdres? You will find the answer to this question in this concert – a unique musical experiment directed by Ragnhild Hemsing with the early music ensemble Barokkanerne. This meeting of Italian Baroque music and Norwegian folk music results in a concert unlike any other.

The truth is that the folk music tradition from Ragnhild's home region, Valdres, and Vivaldi's music have much in common, such as rich ornamentation and improvisation, beautiful melodies and rhythmic swing.