How seemingly far away and yet so close! The ensemble Gabetta Consort takes on the challenge of combining Venetian Baroque music and Argentine tango in our series «Open Mind» this year. Antonio Vivaldi's «Le quattro stagioni,» the crowning achievement of his Opus 8, the 12 Concerti published in 1725 in Amsterdam as «Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'invenzione,» is combined by the musicians with Astor Piazzolla's «Four Seasons in Buenos Aires.» When two outstanding masters like Andrés Gabetta on the violin and Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi on the bandoneon present their solos and find their way to a rhythmic furioso, there is nothing else to compare with.

You will rarely have heard the familiar seasons of the «prete rosso» (the Red Priest, a nickname for composer Antonio Vivaldi) as gripping and captivating as in this rendition. In spring, the flutes and bird songs shine, the shepherd slumbers while his little dog barks, and the water streams rejoice. Summer is hot and dull, filled with humidity and thunderstorms. Autumn brings hunting fever and harvest joys, with the hunting horn blaring and the stag succumbing to its wounds with a final scream. In winter, the ice crunches and the wild north wind lashes. Only by the crackling fireplace is there comfort. Piazzolla also captures the Baroque tuning, with sighing, twitching, and yearning present - all while swaying to the tango step.

Whether on the canals of Venice, the canals of Amsterdam, or in one of the taverns of La Boca, Buenos Aires' colorful port district, music is passion and pure emotion. Our concert combines Baroque music and tango par excellence.