I had low expectations, I’ll admit: what was yet another performance of Four Seasons going to tell me about this well-worn piece? Things were livened up from the outset by readings from the poems that had originally accompanied Vivaldi’s composition. Another nice touch was to have one soloist per season, each of them drawn from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s ranks. Admittedly, the opening movement, Spring, didn’t land well. It was a completely coherent performance – the poetry, the soloists, the orchestra, the brilliant pairing of Vivaldi and Piazzolla.

Source: Stuff May 08, 2021 23:36 UTC