Manchester Camerata, Rakhi Singh, Hannah Roberts

Programme:
Vivaldi - The Four Seasons
Vivaldi - Concerto for two oboes and two clarinets
Tchaikovsky - Variations on a Rococo Theme
Vivaldi - Concerto for two oboes, basoon, two horns and violin

The Four Season's are a set of four violin concerti by Vivaldi, and are arguably the composer's most well-known works. Unusually for the time in which they were composed, Vivaldi published a set of poems to accompany the music, to depict what Vivaldi was aiming to evoke with his music. Little did he know that this was one of the earliest examples of program music - music with a narrative element. Vivaldi went to great lengths to ensure the music matched the poems.

The Concerto for two oboes and two clarinets features unusal instrumentation for the period in which it was written. It is one of the earliest pieces of baroque repertoire to feature the clarinet. The woodwind instruments are played off against each other as pairs against the strings and there are several delighful oboe solos.

Tchaikovsky's theme and variations is a brilliant virtuosic display of symphonic writing that makes use of what is arguably the most beautiful and wide ranging of the orchestral stringed instruments. A simple theme begins the piece, not Rococo in origin but in style, followed by seven variations that transform the original theme into numerous different personalities.

To close the evening's concert, another concerto by Vivaldi with instrumentation unusual for the time in which it was written. A three movement concerto, it makes use of the double reed instruments as well as the horn and of course solo violin.