Soundstreams to Open 2014-15 Season with The Seasons, 9/30

Soundstreams launches its 2014/2015 season with The Seasons at Koerner Hall on September 30 at 8:00 pm. An evening of "seasons" inspired music, the concert features the Toronto premiere of Max Richter's The Four Seasons Recomposed performed by acclaimed violinist Daniel Hope, as well as Pultizer-Prize winner John Luther Adams' Dream in White on White and the world premiere of Canadian composer Paul Frehner's Mojave Dreaming.

Hailed as one of the most influential contemporary composers of the past decade, Max Richter's genre-bending work includes collaborations with actress Tilda Swinton, INFRA at The Royal Ballet, and the score for the HBO series The Leftovers. His chart-topping The Four Seasons Recomposed, released by Deutsche Grammophon in 2012, preserves the elegant beauty of Vivaldi's original, while subtly modifying it to create a provocatively modern aural experience.

In this Toronto premiere, virtuoso British violinist Daniel Hope, who gave the work its premiere performances at the Barbican Centre in London and at New York's Le Poisson Rouge, is joined by and leads a virtuoso string orchestra assembled for the occasion. Called "adventurous and brilliant" by The New York Times, Hope is renowned for his musical versatility and creativity, and for his dedication to humanitarian causes. His just-released recording, Escape to Paradise, draws on his research into European composers who, fleeing fascist persecution, relocated to Los Angeles where they penned some of the 20th century's most iconic film scores.

Rounding out the program are two works conducted by Joaquin Valdenpeñas that explore opposite stark environments. Pulitzer-Prize winning American composer John Luther Adams' Dream in White on White is a musical response to the treeless, windswept, and frozen expanses of western Alaska, while Paul Frehner's world premiere Mojave Dreaming was inspired by desert heat, venomous snakes, and dust devils.

Soundstreams' free Salon 21 at the Gardiner Museum on September 19 at 7:00 pm will explore innovative interpretations of Vivaldi's Four Seasons through performance and discussion with three local ensembles.