Four Seasons concert, Venice

The short answer

Book it if the Four Seasons is the music you came to Venice to hear. The concert is played by Interpreti Veneziani, an ensemble whose own website says it was founded in 1987, in a palace on Campo San Maurizio. The ticket carries a second use: a visit to the Museo della Musica, a collection of historic string instruments in the former church of San Maurizio, on the day of the concert. Reviewers praise the skill of the players and the sound. A few mention that the chairs creak. The rest of this guide explains who plays, where, what you hear, and who should skip it.

Who Interpreti Veneziani are

The ensemble’s website says it was founded in 1987 and has toured the United States, Japan, Canada and Latin America, with a first performance in India in 2013. It reports an annual audience of more than 60,000 and about 20 recordings on CD and LP. Wikipedia describes the group as specialising in Baroque music, Vivaldi’s above all, and says its performances have been called youthful and exuberant. The museum’s website says the ensemble made its debut in 1987 as a new group on the Italian and international scene. Wikipedia adds that the group gives between 200 and 350 concerts a year and has played in Melbourne, Bayreuth, the Stockholm Royal Palace and the Kirov theatre in St Petersburg. It also calls the group’s concerts at the church of San Vidal well known, which is part of its history in the city. In short, this is a working Venetian ensemble that tours, not a band assembled for visitors.

Read next: Vivaldi in Venice

Where the concert is held

The concert takes place at Palazzo Zaguri, which the ensemble’s website calls a historic palace in the heart of Venice, with an intimate connection between the music, the city’s history and its architecture. Wikipedia says the palace was built between the 14th and 15th centuries for the Pasqualini family, merchants who grew rich in the silk trade, and that it encloses the eastern side of Campo San Maurizio. The Zaguri family held the whole building by 1740. Today it is private property used for exhibitions and hospitality. The address is San Marco 2668, which is also the number the ensemble gives for its own office.

Read next: Getting to Campo San Maurizio

What the museum is

The Museo della Musica fills the former church of San Maurizio, on the same square as the palace. Its own site says the collection covers 300 years of Italian violin making and includes examples from different regional schools, with the 18th century as the most important period. It names makers such as Amati, Guadagnini and Goffriller, and its online list includes violins, violas, cellos, double basses, lutes, mandolins, guitars and wind instruments. The collection is that of Artemio Versari, and the display is called Antonio Vivaldi and his time. A luthier’s bench stands among the keyboards and bows.

Read next: Museo della Musica, Venice

What you will hear

Antonio Vivaldi wrote the Four Seasons as four violin concertos. Wikipedia dates them to around 1718 to 1723 and says they appeared in Amsterdam in 1725 as the first four of the twelve concertos in Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione. Every concerto has three movements and a sonnet, and the sonnets speak of birdsong, storms, a hunt and ice. The concert also includes other pieces, and the programme can change, so do not expect a fixed running order or all four concertos in full.

• Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter
• Other pieces chosen by the ensemble
• Pieces and order can change

Read next: The Four Seasons explained

Why it is called programme music

Wikipedia counts the Four Seasons among the first and fullest examples of programme music, a term for music that tells a story. Each concerto moves fast, slow, fast. The sonnets spell out what the strings imitate, so the barking dog in Spring is picked out by the violas, and other natural sounds are suggested elsewhere. That makes the concert friendly to first-time listeners: nobody needs a lesson in concerto form to follow a storm, a hunt or a shepherd’s nap.

A square with music in its past

The museum’s website records the musical history of the parish. In 1447 the School of the Albanians, beside the church, held a musical Mass on the third Sunday of each month in honour of Our Lady of Shkodra. Andrea Gabrieli lived in a small house in the parish from 1555 to 1573, and Claudio Monteverdi received the sub-diaconate in the church on 10 April 1632. The church was rebuilt between 1795 and 1806. A concert here is not a transplant: music has been part of this corner of Venice for centuries.

How the ticket works

A single booking buys both the concert and the museum visit, for the one day you pick. The calendar gives the concert’s start time for that date, while the museum runs to its own timetable, so look at both before deciding which comes first. The museum’s website says it opens every day, and the visit can happen before or after the music. Cancellations made at least 24 hours ahead are refunded in full when booked through GetYourGuide, and you may pay later. The booking page also marks the concert as likely to sell out.

What reviewers say

Reviewers praise the skilled musicians and say the acoustics make Vivaldi’s music moving. One first-time classical-concert-goer was blown away. Some mention uncomfortable, noisy chairs and suggest better seating, and one adds that the noise is not the ensemble’s fault. One visitor enjoyed the concert but never found the museum before it closed. Another hurried to arrive before the music began and got in. These are individual views, so treat them as hints about what to prepare for, not as a verdict.

House rules

The list of things not allowed is long: smoking, food and drinks, luggage or large bags, pets (assistance dogs are allowed), bikes, flash photography, audio recording, touching the exhibits and making noise. Unaccompanied minors and party groups are also on the list. Photography inside is listed too, so ask at the door what is permitted before you raise a phone. The booking page shows the concert as wheelchair accessible. Leave suitcases at your lodging, since there is no room for them.

Who this isn’t for

Pass on it if you are after a staged opera, a full symphony orchestra or a dinner. This is a seated chamber programme, with food and drink kept outside. Pass on it if sitting still for the whole concert is hard, because the chairs make noise, and think twice about bringing a child who cannot stay quiet. It is no place to park a large bag. Anyone who would rather see an opera house than hear one concert should start with the comparison guide on La Fenice.

Read next: Vivaldi concert or La Fenice