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Antonio Vivaldi’s brilliant cycle of compositions, “The Four Seasons,” has become a classic of the concert repertoire, but on October 24 at 7:00 p.m. at the “Lielais Dzintars” Concert Hall in Liepāja, audiences will have the opportunity to experience it in a way never seen before—here, not only will the music come to life, but so will the musicians themselves and contemporary dancers.

The production “The Four Seasons in Dance” was created to mark the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” and its creators are choreographer Mourad Merzouki and France’s outstanding Baroque music performers—Julien Chauvin and the orchestra “Le Concert de la Loge,” who received the prestigious OPUS Klassik Award in the category “Most Innovative Concert of the Year” for this production in 2025.

“The Four Seasons” encompasses much more than just four violin concertos. It can be said that this is a timeless work—rich in imagery, vivid, and captivating even upon repeated listening. Therefore, expanding the universal impact of this composition by adding a choreographic and dramatic dimension seems like a natural step—bringing musicians and dancers together in a shared celebration of art.

“I’ve always wanted to combine hip-hop with other art forms,” says choreographer and director Murad Merzuki. “The idea behind this production is to further blur the line between these two worlds.”

The nineteen musicians of the orchestra “Le Concert de la Loge” took on this challenge with enthusiasm. In Vivaldi’s music, opera and instrumental music are closely intertwined—combining tension, theatricality, and a powerful message. In this production, the musicians act as actors or opera singers, engaging in a dialogue with the dancers. As a unified whole, they enhance the vocal quality of the instrumental works, giving them form and movement. Included between the movements of "The Four Seasons" are Vivaldi’s Quartet Concerto RV 85 and Cello Concerto RV 43, plus "Sinfonia de L’Olimpiade". In the realm of dance, the artists of “Compagnie Käfig” use elements of hip-hop, breakdancing, acrobatics, and contemporary dance to create bodily movements that mirror the bowing motions of string instrumentalists.

In 2015, Julien Chauvin founded the early music ensemble “Le Concert de la Loge” with the aim of reviving a significant period in French musical history—“Le Concert de la Loge Olympique.” This ensemble, with a rotating lineup, presents programs of chamber, symphonic, and vocal music, covering a wide repertoire—from Baroque music to works from the early 20th century. The ensemble’s goal is to explore new concert formats by reviving the spontaneity and traditions of the late 18th century, when diverse bridges of collaboration were forged with other artistic disciplines.

Since the early 1990s, Murad Merzuki has been one of the central figures of the hip-hop movement, and his choreographic work emerges at the intersection of various disciplines. Hip-hop dance—his passion, which he explores in a wide variety of forms—is interwoven with elements of circus, martial arts, visual art, and video.

The concert performance was produced by the orchestra “Le Concert de la Loge,” “STS Événements – La Seine Musicale,” the Lyon National Orchestra, and the Jean-Baptiste Lully Conservatory in Pito.

The concert “Vivaldi’s  Seasons and Dance” is organized by SIA “Lielais Dzintars” with the support of the Liepāja City Council, the State Culture Capital Foundation, and the French Institute in Latvia. Tickets are available at “Biļešu paradīze” ticket offices throughout Latvia, on the website www.bilesuparadize.lv, and at the concert hall’s information center.

For more information, please contact the concert hall’s information center. Hours: Monday through Friday: 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays: 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Phone: +371 634 24 555, email: info@lielaisdzintars.lv.