Four Seasons of the Caribbean – Riley Theatre, Leeds

Music: Antonio Vivaldi, Philip Herbert, Cassie Kinoshi, Renell Shaw, Ayanna Witter-Johnson

Everyone with an interest in classical music has heard of Antonio Vivaldi’s masterpieceThe Four Seasons which musically characterises all four meteorological seasons of the year. It is filled with memorable tunes and dramatic, emotive music which is a staple of the classical repertoire. Here, inFour Seasons of the Caribbeanwe get a 21st century response to that iconic masterpiece that blends the sounds and feelings of the Caribbean population in Britain today. It has been created by four outstanding modern and talented composers all of Caribbean heritage – Philip Herbert, Cassie Kinoshi, Renell Shaw and Ayanna Witter-Johnson – who were all commissioned to write a “season” as a contribution to what is a growing catalogue of ‘four seasons’ pieces in the repertoire and to honour the Windrush generation. The result is a unique blend of sounds and rhythms which are both traditional and modern all brought to life by an internationally famous violinist, Ellinor d’Melon, a steel-pan player, Leon Foster Thomas and the outstanding Manchester Camerata.

What an absolute privilege it is to be present at such an exciting, vibrant and dynamic concert which is a world premiere for this event. How often can it be said that a steel pan shares the stage with a classical orchestra and can steal the show! What is really interesting about this concert is hearing first of all Vivaldi’s Four Seasonsin the first half followed by the new work in the second and seeing how the one builds on the other in new and dynamic ways. Whilst there are obvious similarities in the structure and some of the melodies there is enough variation and development to make the modern work a unified whole in its own right and to give it a distinctive Caribbean vibe that speaks volumes for Caribbean composers working today. All four composers are internationally famous and multi-talented in a variety of creative fields and yet this reviewer had not heard of any of them. This is both to his detriment and simultaneously a demonstration of the creative artistry that exists in modern society.

Manchester Camerata give a scintillating performance of the Vivaldi, energetically led by the solo violinist who displays equal measures of passion, expertise and enjoyment. Hearing it live and played with such verve makes you realise just how glorious this music is and you cannot help but toe tap along with it. Then the modern work just adds to the excitement with its own unique rhythms and glorious harmonies. The “Autumn” section by Philip Herbert is particularly memorable with its opening section introducing the steel pan to the obvious delight of all. It’s syncopated, lilting rhythms perfectly capture the mood swings of the prevailing winds as they come and go in the Caribbean region and can develop into hurricanes. This theme develops in the other two sections with the contemplation after the devastation and the awakening storm, evoking a sense of turbulence and unpredictability that can be associated with sudden changes of climate (all too common in the Caribbean). The other three modern composers also have very interesting things to say about their respective ‘seasons’ which warrant close listening of their music.

This is an extremely entertaining concert which is well put together and worth going some distance to see. It showcases modern talent at its best whilst simultaneously reminding one of the legacy of one of the classical masters. It deserves to be experienced by a much wider audience than the Riley Theatre can unfortunately hold.

Reviewed on 25th November 2023.