By 'Spring II', with the audience fully transfixed and still, Hope is already in the zone: eyes closed, upper body convulsing and bobbing, bow flaying against violin, teasing tricksy, piercing flourishes of sound from his instrument. The heavy, tangible sense of anticipation in the gallery gives way to an instant hush, as the brief dubby electronic prelude of 'Spring 0' fades up, before fusing with the shimmering swell of strings that make up 'Spring I'. Stationed on keyboards and electronics, he appears calm and unflustered, while Hope – standing stage-front, looking assured and dapper in a fitted silver suit, violin and bow grasped like trusty weapons – looks ready for battle.Īnd so it begins. Pulling apart Vivaldi's colossal, instantly recognisable magnum opus on record is one thing, performing such an intricate and major work (albeit deconstructed) on a big stage quite another, but for a seasoned polymath like Richter, it's all grist to the mill. Richter has described how, after being repeatedly exposed to it (as a jingle in shopping malls, "on-hold" telephone muzak, TV adverts), he became "deaf to it as music." Using motifs and elements taken from the original, Recomposed is his attempt to reconnect with Vivaldi's work and re-align it with the 21st century subtle electronics and pulses assimilated into several of the movements plug into today's "electronic universe", now such an integral part of our vast musical language. He and acclaimed lead violinist Daniel Hope exchange knowing glances as they wander out to the rapturous applause of a packed auditorium – with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra in tow – to play The Four Seasons Recomposed, Richter's innovative re-imagining of Vivaldi's masterpiece, to be followed by a tenth anniversary performance of his defining work The Blue Notebooks, first released in 2004.Ī hugely familiar and omnipresent piece, The Four Seasons is not to be taken lightly. Having seen countless orchestral concerts and Proms at the RAH over the years, you certainly wouldn't blame Richter for feeling a little overawed at making his inaugural appearance on the venue's famous stage.
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