To mark the 300th anniversary of the publication of Vivaldi’s enduringly popular set of violin concertos, The Four Seasons, they have been re-imagined as a choral work, A Season to Sing, by composer Joanna Forbes L’Estrange and one of the first performances will take place in Lancing.

Joanna recalls “The Four Seasons is the first piece of music I can remember hearing from my childhood. I used to dance around the sitting room to it! I thought a great way to mark its 300th anniversary would be to make it possible for choirs to perform it. Vivaldi’s tunes are so magnificent they deserve to be sung!” 

Joanna continues “I imagine most people, even those who would profess to know nothing about classical music, have heard at least some parts of The Four Seasons before so I’m hoping that, as the performance unfolds, the audience will be thinking “ooh, I recognise that tune” from time to time. I’m also confident that by hearing a performance of A Season to Sing people might come to appreciate the genius of Vivaldi’s original concertos in a new way”.

The Boundstone Chorus was one of 55 choirs from around the world who answered the call to help finance the creation of the piece in return for the right to perform it ahead of publication. The Boundstone Chorus will perform A Season to Sing on Saturday 29 March at 7.30 pm in St Michael and All Angels, Lancing. This is just days after the official launch performance in London.

Mattea Leow, Associate Musical Director, who will be conducting the performance said “Helping to create new music is always exciting and we really liked Joanna’s idea of reimagining The Four Seasons for a choir to perform. Joanna has taken Vivaldi’s well-loved melodies and weaved into them texts on the subject of spring, summer, autumn and winter to create a piece which is modern and really showing great creativity. As Joanna said I’m sure people will recognise some of the tunes and go away from the concert having had a whole new experience of this great piece of music”. 

Also included in the concert will be Song of the Seasons written by Musical Director Aedan Kerney MBE.

Tickets £10 (U16 £3) are available from www.theboundstonechorus.co.uk, telephone 01903 762793 (please leave a message) or email theboundstonechorus@gmail.com.