Vivaldi - The Four Seasons: The Opera

On the 300th anniversary of its publication, Vivaldi's The Four Seasons has been reimagined as an opera by composer, author and broadcaster Richard Mainwaring. The story centres around an ill-fated couple who ignore the warnings of Mother Nature, ultimately paying the price for human folly and arrogance. The protagonists - Bella and Pietro - fall in love in spring; pay no attention to the warning storms of summer; bear a child in autumn; and perish in winter.

Though Vivaldi's The Four Seasons - The Opera touches on modern climate change issues, it is musically very much rooted in 1725. Mainwaring's adaptation remains faithful to the original score, taking additional recitatives from other Vivaldi works. The opera's music remains instantly recognisable, transforming some of the greatest melodies into emotional vocal lines full of passion, remorse, celebration and foreboding. Collaborating with writer Jo Yeaxlee-Batch, the libretto for The Four Seasons is set in 18th century English, as if translated at the time of publication. 

Artistic Directors – Francis Faux and Richard Mainwaring
Lucis Choir
Bristol Ensemble