The Four Seasons in Dance was produced by musician Julien Chauvin and choreographer Mourad Merzouki in honor of Vivaldi’s 300th birthday.

Seasons is more than just four violin concertos. In a way, it is a timeless opus – rich in imagery, vivid and engaging even upon repeated listening. Therefore, it seems natural to expand the universal impact of this masterpiece with a choreographic and dramatic dimension, bringing together musicians and dancers in a joint celebration of art.

‘I’ve always wanted to open up hip-hop to other disciplines,’ says choreographer and stage manager Mourad Merzouki. ‘The idea behind this show was to make the border between two worlds even more blurred.’
The nineteen musicians of Le Concert de la Loge accepted this challenge with interest. A close link between opera and instrumental music is inherent to Vivaldi’s music, as it combines tension, theatricality, and a strong message. In this show, the musicians are like actors or opera singers in dialog with the dancers. In unison, they serve the dynamic quality of the instrumental works, giving them shape and movement.

Between the parts of Seasons, we will hear Vivaldi’s Concerto RV 85 and Cello concerto RV 43, plus the Sinfonia de L’Olimpiade. For the dimension of dance, artists of the Compagnie Käfig will use elements of hip hop, breakdance, acrobatics, and contemporary dance to mimic the bow movements made by string instrumentalists.

In 2015, Julien Chauvin founded the period instrument ensemble Le Concert de la Loge with the aim of reviving the legacy of an important French historical concert company, Le Concert de la Loge Olympique. The changing collective offers programs of chamber, symphonic, and vocal music, covering a wide repertoire from Baroque to early-twentieth-century works. They aim to explore new forms of concerts, restore both the spontaneity and traditions of the late eighteenth century, when collaborations with other artistic disciplines were common.

Since the early 1990s, Mourad Merzouki has been a key player in the hip hop movement, and his choreographic performance is born at the crossroads of various disciplines. His passion for hip hop dance, studied in a variety of manifestations, is merged with elements of the circus, martial arts, visual art, and video.

The concert performance was created by Le Concert de la Loge, STS Événements – La Seine Musicale, the Orchestre National de Lyon, and the Conservatoire Jean-Baptiste Lully in Puteaux.

Artists:

Ensemble Le Concert de la Loge
Julien Chauvin - author of the concept, conductor, and first violin
Compagnie Käfig - Dancers
Mourad Merzouki - choreography and stage direction