Pekka Kuusisto: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons & Sibelius

The evening

Ale Carr cittern Pekka Kuusisto violin & conductor Aurora Orchestra

Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto joins forces with Aurora Orchestra for two of classical music’s greatest nature-inspired hits, with a sprinkling of Kuusisto’s signature experimental flair.

The natural world has proved a muse for many composers, but there’s arguably no more ecstatic end to a symphony than Sibelius’ painting of soaring swans. It will be impossible not to feel like you’ve swapped out the Queen Elizabeth Hall for a silent retreat in the Finnish countryside with this triumphant proclamation of nature in all its beauty.

From Finland to Italy, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is re-imagined for the 21st century, interspersed with tunes performed by Pekka Kuusisto and Ale Carr, most of them traditional, most of them Nordic. Folk dances from the Åre Swedish mountain range become the Apres-ski to Vivaldi’s ‘Winter’; a lazy Finnish summer evening unfurls in the form of a folk song before Vivaldi’s summer storm hits.

To open, Caroline Shaw’s Plan and Elevation, a driving yet reflective work inspired by nature and architectural drawings. A bird’s-eye “plan” shows the whole structure, while an “elevation” reveals its intricate details and ornaments – much as tonight’s improvisations illuminate music centuries old from a new angle.