Grammy awards-winning ensemble Apollo’s Fire and their director, Jeannette Sorrell, have been called “the USA’s hottest baroque band” (Classical Music Magazine, UK). Together with Spanish violinist Francisco Fullana, they present Vivaldi’s beloved Four Seasons as the revolutionary acts of musical storytelling they were meant to be – bringing Vivaldi’s pictorial descriptions to life. If you thought you knew the Four Seasons, be prepared for surprises! Vivaldi’s 18th-century peasants leap off the page as the musicians revel in the joys and sorrows of a time when people lived closer to nature.
The program also features duelling cellists in Vivaldi’s stormy Concerto for Two Cellos, and Jeannette Sorrell’s acclaimed arrangement of Vivaldi’s La Folia ('Madness'), which the orchestra has performed from memory at the BBC Proms, Carnegie Hall, and other venues around the world.
Afterwards, the band heads downstairs to the Crypt for their late night performance of Blues Café 1610, a musical tour of old world pubs and taverns. The sounds of violin, hammered dulcimer, plucked instruments, and ney (Middle Eastern flute) evoke haunting ballads and lively folk-inspired dances from Dublin to Jerusalem.
“Sheer delight… imagine Monteverdi and colleagues gathered in an Italian café, enjoying vino while the band improvises on their latest musical creations.” Bachtrack.com