Chédeville: Les Saisons Amusantes (D'après Antonio Vivaldi)

Let’s just come right out and say it: many classical music lovers are sick to death of Vivaldi’s famous violin concerto cycle The Four Seasons. There’s nothing wrong with the music itself, of course – it’s just so ubiquitous that we’ve grown tired of hearing it. So the challenge is to make the familiar melodies new and interesting, a challenge that a number of composers have taken up over the past several centuries. One notable example is this arrangement by the 18th-century composer Nicolas Chédeville, written for bagpipes and hurdy-gurdy accompanied by a conventional chamber ensemble. The raw-boned sound of these solo instruments enhances the pastoral, bucolic nature of Vivaldi’s already highly programmatic music, and while this arrangement may not become most listeners’ go-to version, it sure is fun.