With autumn in full swing, now's the perfect time to listen to the musical evocation of the season in this latest entry in Deutsche Grammophon's Recomposed series. Subtly incorporating ambient elements similar to his own work, Max Richter tastefully reinvents this classic for the modern age with the assistance of violinist Daniel Hope.
"[Richter's] solo work combines ambient electronica with melodic minimalism, and in his recasting of The Four Seasons, everything is up for reconsideration except the classical instrumentation. Sometimes the melody is retained while elements of the accompaniment are reconstituted into a droning or minimalist style: sometimes the rhythm is chopped up into uneven time signatures. Motifs are stretched through repetition in a way that reminds us of the similar construction of much Baroque music. Occasionally revisions practically result in a new melody, as in the opening movement of 'Summer.' [...] It would have been very easy for Richter's Four Seasons to end up a cheap gimmick. Instead it aligns the Baroque and the modern in thoroughly enjoyable and memorable ways." - eMusic