Vivaldi's Four Seasons At Christmas

A Christmas programme of Baroque works by Handel, Corelli, Torelli and Vivaldi, performed by the chamber ensemble London Concertante at St George's Church, Hanover Square, in London.

London Concertante is a UK-based chamber ensemble whose repertoire covers classical music alongside gypsy and Latin American music, including Piazzolla's tangos. Its artistic director is the cellist Chris Grist, and its first album, The Four Seasons, appeared in 2007. This Christmas evening draws on the Baroque repertoire and closes with Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

The programme opens with the overture to Handel's Messiah, followed by two Christmas concertos: Corelli's, written for the night of Christmas, and Torelli's. Both are built to evoke the Nativity and the stillness of that night. Vivaldi's Four Seasons then forms the final part, four concertos that portray the seasons through birdsong, buzzing flies, harvest celebrations, barking dogs, summer storms and winter ice. Each concerto is linked to an accompanying poem, possibly written by Vivaldi himself.

The concert takes place at St George's Church, Hanover Square, a religious building at The Vestry, 2A Mill Street, London W1S 1FX. It suits listeners who want a seasonal selection of well-known Baroque works, from the Handel overture to Vivaldi's concertos, in a church setting.