Watch Party: Vivaldi, Bach, and “The Four Seasons” at 300

It is likely, although undocumented, that J.S. Bach came across the score of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons”, which was published 300 years ago this year. There is no doubt, however, that Bach’s compositional outlook was abruptly and fundamentally changed when he was first exposed to Vivaldi’s music about 15 years earlier.

Join us to examine how Bach responded to the jolt that Vivaldi’s approach to musical structures represented by watching his transcriptions for organ, harpsichord, and orchestra of the Italian master's concertos. We will also enjoy a complete video performance of "The Four Seasons", featuring in subtitles the descriptive texts that Vivaldi illustrated in music. Expect, in what is one of history’s first recorded instances of program music, to recognize dogs, bees, birds, rain, and various outdoor recreational activities.