EIGHT SEASONS: VIVALDI & PIAZZOLLA

February 12, 2026 | Bohemian National Hall

PHILIPPE QUINT & MAGELLAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Presented by Irina Knaster & Philippe Quint

Vivaldi The Four Seasons
Piazzolla The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires

The cycle of the seasons has inspired composers across centuries and styles—from Haydn’s The Seasons oratorio and Tchaikovsky’s piano miniatures to Glazunov’s richly orchestrated ballet The Seasons and Debussy’s seasonal piano prelude Printemps. Few, however, have captured the seasons with the immediacy and dramatic clarity we hear in this upcoming concert.

In Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, often cited as the first clear example of program music, nature itself becomes a protagonist. The work illustrates sonnets written by Vivaldi, describing what unfolds in each movement—birds calling, storms breaking, dances, and winter winds. Remarkable in its own time, it still feels strikingly modern.

Nearly three centuries later, Astor Piazzolla reimagined the seasons through the pulse of Buenos Aires. His Four Seasons of Buenos Aires blend tango, jazz, and classical traditions, capturing the city’s heat, melancholy, and restless energy.

What makes this concert unusual, however, is its form: rather than our customary illustrated talk, this will be a concert of illustrated music. Without disclosing too much, we invite you to experience a new, off-the-beaten-track way of looking at Renaissance painting and modern photography, brought together in an unexpected pairing of sound and imagery.