MUSIC

Mercury Baroque stylishly celebrates Valentine’s Day with 8 Seasons, a special program featuring the Four Seasons by both Antonio Vivaldi and by tango composer Astor Piazzolla. The 8 Seasons uniquely juxtaposes Baroque and Tango musical styles, showcasing the ensemble’s versatility and virtuosity.

Jonathan Godfrey, Mercury Baroque’s Concertmaster, will be the violin soloists. Denis Plante, brother of Mercury Baroque’s founder Antoine Plante, will perform on the Bandoneon, an accordion-like instrument typical of Argentinean tango music. Mercury Baroque recorded its 8 Seasons program in 2003 and the CD is now one of the orchestra’s best sellers.

While at first the thought of pairing Vivaldi and Piazzolla, Argentina’s greatest tango composer, might sound strange for a Baroque orchestra, there is a logical connection. “Piazzolla was introduced to Bach at a young age while living in New York”, explains Antoine Plante, Mercury Baroque’s Artistic Director. “Through his formal studies of composition he became very well acquainted with the Baroque style and some of those compositional techniques can be heard in his tango music.”

Both Piazzolla and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons are programmatic works, meaning they were written to evoke a certain scene to audiences. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, originally written to go along with four sonnets, use musical sounds and textures to represent the seasons. Piazzolla’s work, however, transports the listener to the streets of Buenos Aires.

Compositional theory aside, however, “Piazzolla is just a lot of fun to play”, says Plante. “There are shared elements of elegance in passion in both Baroque and Tango music and our audience loves it.” Many of Mercury Baroque’s musicians enjoy tango dancing as a hobby.

Now in its 10th Season, Mercury Baroque has charmed audiences and critics the world over with its passionate and exciting performances of Baroque music on period accurate instruments. Originally founded as a chamber ensemble, Mercury has since grown into a full orchestra of young, dynamic musicians, performing a subscription series of concerts in downtown Houston, other Houston-area communities and touring both domestically and internationally. In addition to frequent performances, Mercury Baroque is also dedicated to educating future audiences and training the city’s future musicians. Mercury’s educational outreach programs have reached more than 10,000 children in the past 5 years alone.

Mercury Baroque gives two performances of the 8 Seasons in the Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater on February 12th and 14th at 8:00pm. The orchestra brings the 8 Seasons to The Woodlands’ John Cooper School Performing Arts Center on Sunday, February 13th at 2:00pm. Tickets and information can be found online at www.MercuryBaroque.org  or by phone at (713) 533-0080.

Mercury Baroque’s 8 Seasons Performances:

8 Seasons
Saturday, February 12 at 8:00pm
Monday, February 14 at 8:00pm
Wortham Center, Cullen Theater
501 Texas Ave, Houston, TX 77002

Sunday, February 13 at 2:00pm
The John Cooper School Performing Arts Center
1 John Cooper Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77381 Soloists: