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PROGRAM NOTES

From the Conductor: About Tonight’s Program

It is still difficult for me to contemplate this moment.

It’s been over 20 months since musicians of the Plymouth Philharmonic have performed in Memorial
Hall. As a way of renewing our commitment to create sonic beauty in this space, we have designed a
concert to match this moment. Welcome to tonight’s program: Seasons of Renewal.
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The entire second half of this concert is given over to The Four Seasons, the best-known music by
the Italian Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741). A near contemporary of Johann
Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750), Vivaldi left a decisive mark on the form of the concerto and the style
of late Baroque instrumental music.

The Four Seasons is a group of four violin concertos, each a musical portrait depicting a different
season of the year. They were published in 1725, together with eight additional violin concertos
by Vivaldi. That collection of 12 violin concertos was titled by the composer, The Contest Between
Harmony and Invention.

Although composed three centuries ago, The Four Seasons is timeless. This music is full of energy and
drama, evoking nature’s extraordinary beauty, power and variety. Even after all these years, it still
possesses the ability to transport an audience, taking them on a compelling and exciting audio tour.
You are in for a wild and wonderful ride!
I am thrilled violinist Irina Muresanu is here tonight, sharing her artistry and virtuosity with us.
She is amazing! We have had several opportunities to perform with Irina in the past and she never
disappoints the audience or the orchestra. She’s become a dear friend, too. It’s always a joy-filled
affair when we get together to make music with her.
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Before we perform The Four Seasons, tonight’s program strikes a decidedly all-American tone.

We begin with Whirl, music created earlier this year by Nashville-based composer Cristina Spinei.
Here is what she writes about this music:

As much as I love living in Nashville, I haven’t gotten used to the tornado threats and flood
warnings that plague our spring and early summer. I composed this piece during a week with
multiple tornado warnings and a flood. I didn’t intend on writing a fast, swirling work, but
I must have been influenced by our crazy weather. During the time I composed Whirl I was
listening to Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Whirl turned into my own interpretation of ‘Spring.’

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