For Seasons: A Climate-Inspired Reimagining of Vivaldi’s Masterpiece
Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons has captivated listeners for centuries with its vivid musical storytelling and evocative depiction of nature. But what happens when the seasons as we know them begin to shift? This Friday and Saturday, March 28-29, A Far Cry presents “For” Seasons, a bold reimagining of Vivaldi’s iconic concertos through the lens of climate change, paired with powerful contemporary works that explore nature, time, and renewal.
Why For Seasons?
Curated by Crier Michael Unterman, For Seasons is both a musical journey and a call to action. The title is intentional. It’s a plea for the seasons we love—a reflection on their uncertain future, and a hope that we might still reclaim a natural balance.
The program is structured in reverse seasonal order, a choice that tells its own story:
Winter as an Ice Age
Autumn as human folly
Summer as a symbol of overheating and environmental stress
Spring as a return to balance—what could be
Each Vivaldi concerto is interwoven with a modern companion piece that deepens the narrative and emotional impact of the journey.
The Program: Bridging Centuries, Exploring Climate
Anna Thorvaldsdottir – Illumine
Opening the concert is Illumine by Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir. Inspired by the quiet drama of a midwinter sunrise, the piece captures the delicate balance between darkness and light. Thorvaldsdottir, who grew up surrounded by Iceland’s rugged natural landscape, creates an “ecosystem of sounds” that breathe and evolve, mirroring the stillness and awe of dawn breaking over a frozen landscape.
“The inspiration is based on the notion of dawn... the ignition of the first beams of light and the subtle rhythms that appear through the pulsating dance of light emerging.” – Anna Thorvaldsdottir
Antonio Vivaldi – The Four Seasons (Selections in Reverse Order)
Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons—composed in the early 18th century—is a groundbreaking series of violin concertos that paint scenes of nature with remarkable specificity. Each movement aligns with a sonnet, possibly penned by Vivaldi himself, and includes musical motifs that mirror natural phenomena, from chirping birds to icy storms.
Sufjan Stevens (arr. Atkinson) – “Year of the Boar” from Run Rabbit Run
Originally part of Stevens’ experimental electronic album Enjoy Your Rabbit, Year of the Boar was later reimagined for string quartet by composer Michael P. Atkinson as part of the album Run Rabbit Run. This churning, rhythmically propulsive piece adds a touch of wild unpredictability to the concert.
Unterman pairs it with Vivaldi’s Autumn, imagining it as “the revenge of the boar” after the hunting scene in the earlier concerto—a moment of modern humor and energy that punctuates the program’s progression.
Quinn Mason – Reflection on a Memorial for String Orchestra
Commissioned in remembrance of victims of racial violence, Reflection on a Memorial by rising star Quinn Mason offers an elegy for all we’ve lost—whether human, environmental, or cultural. Through richly layered string writing and narrative solo lines for violin, viola, and cello, the piece offers space for grief, hope, and reflection.
“There is a moment of light through darkness and a spark of hope… a coda that becomes distant and fades into the abyss.” – Quinn Mason
Caroline Shaw – Entr’acte
Closing the program is Entr’acte by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw. Inspired by the unexpected harmonic shift in Haydn’s Op. 77 No. 2 quartet, Shaw’s work acts as a mirror, interlude, and challenge. It’s a gentle, curious reflection on change, transition, and the question left hanging at the end of For Seasons:
“What you gon’ do ’bout it?” – Michael Unterman
A Musical Call to Action
For Seasons is more than a concert—it’s a meditation on what we’ve inherited and what we risk losing. Through imaginative programming and visceral performance, A Far Cry offers audiences not just beauty and power, but also a moment to pause, reflect, and reimagine a more sustainable world.
Tickets are on sale now! Go to afarcry.org/all-concerts
Event Details
🗓️ Friday, March 28 at 8PM
📍 Groton Hill Music Center, Groton, MA
🗓️ Saturday, March 29 at 7:30PM
📍 NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
