Unclassified Live: Max Richter’s Recomposed at Bluedot Festival

To mark the night of the winter solstice, Elizabeth Alker presents the first broadcast of a live performance of Max Richter's Recomposed: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, recorded especially for Unclassified in July at Bluedot festival, Cheshire. With virtuoso solo violinist Mari Samuelsen at the helm, the BBC Concert Orchestra are led through iconic musical evocations of spring and summer and autumn to arrive at winter.

Both Richter and his Baroque inspiration share a love of patterns and motivic repetition. Remembering the process involved in creating Recomposed as a conversation between himself and Vivaldi, Richter talks about how he would be constantly "suggesting" things to the original score: "It's a series of little experiments. I say, 'What about this?' The music then starts to tell you whether it works or not. I see that as Vivaldi. He's saying, "No, forget about that. Do it like this!'"

Produced by Katie Callin
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3