French Baroque specialists Les Arts Florissants will be celebrating the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with performance, marking the work’s original publication in 1725. Violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte will join the ensemble for a Toronto concert on March 29.
De Swarte is a fast rising violinist with a passion for Baroque repertoire. He’s performed with ensembles in Europe and Australia, and on stages from Carnegie Hall to the Shanghai National Art Centre. A graduate of the Paris Conservatory, he became a regular member of Les Arts Florissants in 2014, while he was still a student.
The Program
The full program is a rich mix of Italian Baroque, with an emphasis on Vivaldi;
- Claudio Monteverdi: Adoramus te, SV 289 (transcription)
- Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto madrigalesco, for strings and basso continuo in D Minor, RV129
- Marco Uccellini: Bergamasca
- Antonio Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in D Minor, RV 813
- Francesco Geminiani: Concerto Grosso No. 12 in D Minor (“La Follia”) (after Corelli)
- Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in E Major, op. 8, no. 1, “Spring” from The Four Seasons, RV 269
- Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in G Minor, op. 8, no. 2, “Summer” from The Four Seasons, RV 315
- Antonio Vivaldi: Overture to La fida ninfa, FV 714
- Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in F Major, op. 8, no. 3, “Autumn” from The Four Seasons, RV 293
- Antonio Vivaldi: Grave from Violin Concerto in B flat Major, RV 370
- Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in F Minor, op. 8, no. 4, Winter” from The Four Seasons, RV 297
Les Arts Florissants has been celebrating Baroque and other classical music for four decades. Currently the ensemble in residence at the Philharmonie de Paris and in the Vendée, France, the ensemble was founded by conductor William Christie in 1979.
Its name comes from an opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, written in 1685 with the same title. With a chamber orchestra and small core of vocalists, Les Arts Florissants have become famous for their period operas, including a landmark performance of Lully’s Atys in Paris — the first time the work had been performed since 1753. Specializing in rarely heard repertoire, Atys is just one of multiple works the ensemble has rediscovered and performed.
We spoke to violinist and concertmaster Augusta McKay Lodge (AML) about the ensemble, the music, and their Toronto appearance.
Augusta McKay Lodge : Les Arts Florissants
LvT: What is it about baroque music that still inspires both musicians and audiences in the present day?
AML: One of the wonderful aspects of baroque music, and specifically of historical performance, is the idea of recreating the past while simultaneously inspiring a new, fresh energy. I think that is something that really draws people in. Baroque music is very much centered on dance and rhetoric, and also the intimacy of chamber music. Everyone on stage has a voice, which feels so important and relevant in this day and age! This is inherent to the music but also to the approach we bring as historical performers. So it is equally exciting for the musicians as for the audience, and I think everyone can feel that. It’s a big dance party!
LvT: Likewise, what makes Vivaldi’s Four Seasons so appealing 300 years after it was composed?
AML: It is exciting, fun music! It doesn’t matter whether you are a baroque nerd or completely new to classical music, there’s no way you won’t be tapping your toes during the Four Seasons.
The Four Seasons were published alongside a set of Sonnets, written into the music, which indicate the story behind the music (depicting bird song, the flow of rivers, wind, storms, the chattering of teeth in the cold winter, etc). It’s really fun to read these alongside the music and to see to what extent the music is programmatic.
The Seasons are wonderfully virtuosic for the solo violin, combining the beautiful and scenic story-telling with a fiery virtuosity as the soloist leaps and scurries all over the instrument. It’s always exciting to see how a performer embraces the challenges and exciting virtuosic passages.
This is exceptional music, which just comes to life when it is played and jumps off the page. You can really imagine you’re in 18th century Venice in the summer heat!
LvT: Violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte will be the soloist. What qualities does he bring to the music as a performer?
AML: Théotime is larger than life — you feel his presence the moment he enters the room. And you can definitely feel that sizzling energy when he picks up his violin! This is very exciting to work with. He is someone who knows how to have a lot of fun, is always extremely positive and energetic, but is also a very serious musician. We share a lot of laughs during the rehearsal process but he is always extremely attuned to every detail of the work. His ears extend far beyond his solo line— he hears every nuance, every sound, every articulation of the orchestra. This is such an important quality in his leadership. On stage, he brings an incredible vibrancy to the music that the audience feels immediately, with his wonderful virtuosity of course, but also with his skilled and youthful musicianship.
He’s a very generous performer… you feel immediately that he wants to share the music and the experience with you.
LvT: As a company that tours regularly, are there differences between European and North American audiences when it comes to how your concerts are received?
AML: Les Arts Florissants has always held a tremendous rapport with their audiences, passionately cultivated by directors William Christie and Paul Agnew. Every audience is different, and every audience is a wonderful audience! We are so excited to perform for you and we just hope you enjoy it.
- Find tickets and more details about their March 29 Toronto concert [HERE].
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