Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons

29 October 2012, 14:34 | Updated: 6 January 2017, 14:45

Think you know Vivaldi's Four Seasons? Think again, with the mesmerising new album, 'Recomposed' by Max Richter. Drive Featured Album, 29 October 2012.

The Four Seasons are among the most widely heard pieces of classical music of all time, but this new album from British composer Max Richter allows us to revisit these most famous of Baroque pieces and discover something new with every listen.

Whether a tiny fragment of music, an entire phrase, or a rhythmic idea, Richter develops a modern musical web from these Baroque masterpieces, building on the same foundations as Vivaldi but coming to quite different conclusions.

Listen to the yearning violin melodies of 'Spring 2' or the jagged strings in 'Winter 1' and Richter captures the original essence of Vivaldi's masterpiece, adding a modern twist. Listening to the mesmerising 'Spring 0' is an altogether different experience, as the strains of the original Baroque music drifts through the minimalist textures like a ghost from the past.

Daniel Hope's bright violin playing adds another ethereal dimension to this album, soaring and skipping over the orchestral textures with real personality.

It's almost impossible to come to Vivaldi's Four Seasons with completely fresh ears, but this mesmerising album enables listeners to rediscover these amazing works, creating entirely new music with a minimalist Baroque twist.