Max Richter on Recomposing Vivaldi's Four Seasons

5 October 2012, 12:49

One of Vivaldi's greatest works is given a radical reworking by Max Richter, who speaks to Classic FM about the project

British composer Max Richter has made a name for himself with his defiantly modern compositions. Whether he's working on his own solo material, collaborating with artists as diverse as Roni Size and Vashti Bunyan or composing ballet scores for the Royal Opera House, his music is very much of the moment.

It's perhaps surprising, then, that his latest project looks back as far as Vivaldi for its inspiration. 'Vivaldi Recomposed' takes one of the baroque composer's best-loved works and pulls it to pieces or, as Richter tells Classic FM's Lucy Coward, reassembles the atoms of the original: "I already had this incredible resource of wonderful material, which Vivaldi had kindly provided."

The work is being released alongside a radical takeover project that will see dozens of shops and other unexpected places playing the whole of Richter's work on October 19th (Spring), 21st (Summer), 23rd (Autumn) and 27th (Winter), culminating in a special live show at the Regent Street Apple Store on October 30th.

Listen to Classic FM's interview with Max Richter here.