THE STORY OF VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS – WORLD CAFÉ. At Café Roux.
CARSTEN RASCH reviews
The first time I heard The Four Seasons was in 1974. It was a Saturday afternoon. My stepfather was at the tennis club (presumably) playing tennis, my younger brother in his bedroom reading a Trompie book, and I was three songs into Uriah Heep’s Sweet Freedom, which I’d bought that morning. My mother walked in and, without a word, removed the record from the turntable and replaced it with Vivaldi. I was not impressed. But something must have shifted, because a few weeks later, I dropped the album onto the turntable all by myself. Those confident violin strokes, followed by a fluttering of whimsical notes introducing Spring, were impossible to forget – and not easy to remain unaffected by.
As I will be again tonight, watching World Café perform their celebrated The Story of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
The difference is that I’m not at home, nor in a concert hall, but sitting at the bar in Café Roux, about to order a Quattro Stagioni pizza in honour of the show. To my disappointment, there’s no such pizza on the menu. Couldn’t they have made a Special? But I suppose that would set a precedent – and they might have to come up with a Jack Parow Burger or a Beatles Revival Salad. I order a burger instead.
While I wait, sipping my wine and wondering how to begin this piece of writing, the ensemble steps onto the stage. Stanislav Angelov, the Bulgarian accordionist, takes his seat. He’s flanked by rock-star bassist Schalk Joubert, also seated, and violin virtuoso Petrus de Beer, who will remain standing for the entire 70-minute show. The most remarkable thing about this performance is that the concerto will be delivered by this trio, rather than the usual large string ensemble.
Not just a concerto
The fourth member of the outfit is of course Vivaldi, who composed the four concerti that make up Le Quattro Stagioni around 1723, for solo violin and full orchestra. A violinist himself, he was teaching music at a Venetian orphanage for a thousand girls. Vivaldi was expected to write at least two concerti a month, which were performed by the orphanage’s all-girl orchestra on Sundays. One of his prize students was a girl named Anna Maria, anonymously delivered through a baby-sized portal in the front door in 1696. Because of her talent, she became known as Anna Maria dal Violin and was one of the most celebrated violinists of her time, soloing on many of his concertos.
The Four Seasons is not just a concerto. It is accompanied by four sonnets – one for each season – setting the mood and telling the soloist of his intentions. That was a great innovation, and one of the reasons this show works so well in a small ensemble. But World Café goes even further, offering historical context for the concerto, and explaining the technical terms, which, naturally, are all in Italian.
Café Roux is perfect for this kind of show. The stage and lighting are modest but sufficient. The place is jam-packed and buzzing, despite the storm brewing outside, which – in a strange way – seems to pre-empt the spring storm the trio is about to evoke on the stage. In earlier versions of the show, the sonnets were read by an actor, but tonight the spoken parts are shared among the three performers: Stanislav and Petrus handle the narration, while Schalk recites the sonnets.
Quite a show …
Petrus explains that in the first concerto, Spring, the violin represents chirping birds, and Stanislav’s accordion is the weeping willow. Stanislav pulls a sad face, then smiles, and in his appealing Slavic accent explains how the concerto is structured: “I know it sounds like the ingredients of an Italian pasta,” he says, “but actually these words indicate the tempo of the concertos. Allegro is fast; largo is slow—but not too slow; and allegro pastorale is fast, but not too fast. This fast-slow-fast structure is why these parts are called ‘movements.’” The audience sniggers at Stanislav’s sad face, laughs when he calls the concert “pasta,” and purrs appreciatively at the explanation. If they love the music as much as they love the stories, World Café is in for a fantastic evening.
Schalk clears his throat, and – clearly not wanting to be outdone – says, “You guys can clap and whistle between the movements, hey, like it’s a rock concert.” The audience obliges immediately. Schalk clears his throat again, and begins to recite:
“Spring has come with joy, welcomed by birds with joyous songs, and the streams, amid gentle breezes, whisper softly…”
Petrus launches into the allegro the moment the sonnet ends. What follows is a masterpiece of emotional manipulation – first by Vivaldi, then by the band’s stellar execution. Petrus plays like a true virtuoso, never missing a beat or stroke. Stanislav’s accordion huffs and puffs furiously in one movement, while Schalk plucks his bass like it’s a lead guitar. In the next, the accordion pulses at full intensity with Stanislav’s fingers fluttering like manic butterflies, while Schalk’s bass riffs veer momentarily into 80s rock. The audience is enraptured during the largo parts and explodes with applause after each allegro. It’s quite a show. Quite a show …
Perfectly suited to this kind of postmodern interpretation
The Four Seasons is perfectly suited to this kind of postmodern interpretation – electric bass replacing the double bass and cello, accordion standing in for the harpsichord or organ – without compromising the core intention of the concerto: the contest between solo violin and ensemble. The idea that a 35-piece string section could be whittled down to two players is almost inconceivable. And yet, here it is. While the accordion and bass occasionally rest, there is no such luxury for the violin. As the final notes fade, replaced by the elated applause of a transported audience, Petrus is visibly exhausted.
What: The Story of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons – World Café
Where and when:
Alma Café – Sat 31 May 2025 – bookings@almacafe.co.za
Lourensford Wine Estate – Sat 5 July 2025 – Quicket
Drostdy Theatre – Sun 6 July 2025 – Webtickets
WS
