VSO’s The Four Seasons travels gradually into “icy snow”, December 11 and 12 at the Chan Centre
Orchestra’s associate concertmaster Timothy Steeves takes a starring role in the festive violin concertos
The VSO’s Timothy Steeves
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra presents The Four Seasons at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts on December 11 and 12
ANTONIO VIVALDI’S iconic set of violin concertos The Four Seasons has become a holiday tradition at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra—and though it spans spring, summer, and autumn, its final movement, “Winter”, leaves you with a sense of biting cold, chattering teeth, and frosty landscapes.
That seems fitting in Vancouver as our mercury finally takes a dive and powdery white stuff starts to cover the local mountains.
Among the draws of this rendition is a chance to see VSO associate concertmaster Timothy Steeves take a solo role and really show his expressive and technical chops. The artist, who hails from the small town of Strathmore, Alberta, has performed in hallowed halls, from Carnegie Hall to the Lincoln Center and the Salzburger Festspiele, with a versatility that allows him to tackle everything from contemporary works to Baroque beauties like the Seasons.
Add the crispness of sound at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and you have a beautiful foray into wintry weather—or, in the words of a poem accompanying the “Winter” section, attributed to Vivaldi himself, into feeling “frozen and trembling in the icy snow, in the severe blast of the horrible wind”. Wear your woolies. 
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