The Marine Chamber Orchestra will begin its Summer Orchestra Series at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 17 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria. Conducted by Assistant Director Capt. Ryan J. Nowlin, the orchestra will perform two substantial works which showcase the virtuosity of Marine Chamber Orchestra violinists. On the first half of the concert, the orchestra will perform Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons featuring concertmaster Staff Sgt. Karen Johnson. Following Vivaldi, the orchestra will perform Max Richter’s The Four Seasons Recomposed, featuring assistant concertmaster Master Sgt. Regino Madrid.

“I thought it would be nice for the audience to hear the original and then the recomposition,” Nowlin said. “It’s neat because the Richter selection is a recomposition and the composer has taken each season and recast it for the modern day.”

According to Master Sgt. Madrid, the solo violin part in the Richter composition is very different from the Vivaldi part:

“There are only a few sections where Richter left the original solo part untouched,” said Madrid. “The rest is recomposed with layering, looping, meter changes, a MIDI track, and long sweeping lyrical lines which are beautiful and appeal to our modern ears. I think the audience will enjoy it for its fresh take on the Vivaldi which so many have heard, not just in the concert hall but also on the TV, in the shopping mall, at weddings, and even in the elevator. The Richter piece is a remarkably original composition that will change the way you will think of ‘The Four Seasons’ and perhaps make you fall in love with it again. I find the Richter very enjoyable to play not just for its 21^st century update, but I find it to be a very emotional version of Vivaldi’s legendary masterpiece.

The concert is free, tickets are not required, and free parking is available in the garage adjacent to the hall.

Program and notes