“I wanted to open up the score on a note-by-note level, and working with an existing recording was like digging a mineshaft through an incredibly rich seam, discovering diamonds and not being able to pull them out. He sought to do so in an accessible style that mirrored Vivaldi’s intentions with the piece, rather than to place a twentieth-century Modernist imprint on it.

The idea of recomposing and re-processing musical works was common practice in Vivaldi’s time, and Richter wanted to reconnect with the piece and to re-start the conversation on Vivaldi’s work. Max Richter was fascinated by Vivaldi’s 1725 composition because “ The Four Seasons is an omnipresent piece of music and like no other part of our musical landscape.” But he was also aware that for many, including himself, it had long ago ceased to be something of beauty and had instead become an ever-present piece of muzak. Max Richter was always fascinated by Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons Recomposed By Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons is now available in a 10th-anniversary edition. Max Richter spoke to us about how and why he recomposed the famous work.

The violin concertos broke new ground with their programmatic depiction of the changing seasons and their technical innovations. Vivaldi’s revolutionary set of four violin concertos, The Four Seasons, are among the most popular pieces in the classical music repertoire. Like many composers, Richter was fascinated by Vivaldi’s groundbreaking Four Seasons and his “recomposition” topped the classical chart in 22 countries. Recomposed By Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, originally released August 31, 2012, is a radical reinterpretation of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

Max richter the four seasons recomposed