Artists from the Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal de Versailles (Royal Theater of Versailles Symphony Orchestra) will perform the Four Seasons concert at the Ho Guom Opera on the evenings of April 21-22.

Artists of the Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal de Versailles. Photo: Orchestre, Chœur et Académie de l'Opéra Royal de Versailles

The ultimate classical concert Four Seasons will kick off a series of international music events called Musical Seasons 24/25. An initiative of the Ho Guom Opera, it aims to bring the best of European classical music to audiences in Hanoi.

According to the organizers, Musical Seasons 24/25 will feature five artistic performance projects of opera, ballet and symphony concerts. The Four Seasons will be performed in Hanoi on the 300th anniversary of the musical work.

Composed in the 17th century by the great Italian musician Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741), The Four Seasons is a set of four radical violin concertos representing the seasons of the year. It is no coincidence that the concerto is one of the most famous compositions in Vivaldi's oeuvre - perhaps in all of Baroque music. They comprise four concertos for violin, strings and bass continuo, to which Vivaldi himself gave the programmatic titles 'Spring', 'Summer', 'Autumn' and 'Winter'. Each is preceded by a poem describing the mood and scene of the season, which Vivaldi then brilliantly depicts in music - from thunder and lightning to birdsong and even a barking dog.

The Four Seasons concert will be followed in August 2024 by The Mozart Concert, performed by artists from Les Musiciens du Louvre Orchestra.

Legendary Italian composer Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

In September 2024, audiences will once again have the opportunity to enjoy Antonio Vivadi's work "The Four Seasons" during two evenings of the ballet "The Seasons", performed by artists from the Malandain Ballet Biarritz (France) in collaboration with the Symphony Orchestra of the Royal Theatre of Versailles. The Ho Guom Opera's musical seasons 24/25 will continue in November 2024 with The Vienna Concert, performed by artists from the Vienna Chamber Orchestra.

The series of top European classical arts programs will conclude with the classic opera 'Carmen' by French composer Georges Bizet, to be performed by artists from the Royal Theater of Versailles in March 2025. The performance will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the opera.

Through this special series of classical music performances, Ho Guom Opera hopes to bring the Vietnamese audience closer to classical music, a precious intangible heritage of humanity, while reaffirming that Vietnam is a friendly, art-loving country.