Pekka Kuusisto, Ale Carr & Aurora Orchestra: Four Seasons
Bringing his experimental flair, violinist Pekka Kuusisto joins forces with Aurora Orchestra for two of classical music’s greatest nature-inspired hits.
The natural world has been a muse for many composers, but there’s arguably no more ecstatic ending to a symphony than Sibelius’ evocation of soaring swans.
You may well feel as though you’ve swapped the Queen Elizabeth Hall for a retreat in the Finnish countryside with this triumphant proclamation of nature in all its beauty.
From Finland to Italy, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is reimagined for the 21st century, infused with Nordic folkloric sounds and improvisations led by Pekka Kuusisto and Aurora’s musicians. Folk dances from the Åre Swedish mountain range become the Apres-ski to Vivaldi’s ‘Winter’; a lazy Finnish summer evening unfurls in the form of a folk song before Vivaldi’s summer storm hits.
To open, Caroline Shaw’s Plan and Elevation, a driving yet reflective work inspired by nature and architectural drawings. A bird’s-eye ‘plan’ shows the whole structure, while an ‘elevation’ reveals its intricate details and ornaments – much as tonight’s improvisations illuminate music centuries old from a new angle.
Pekka Kuusisto is a Southbank Centre Resident Artist for Classical Music: Autumn/Winter 2026/27.
Performers
Aurora Orchestra
Pekka Kuusisto director, violin
Ale Carr cittern
Repertoire
Caroline Shaw: Plan & Elevation for string quartet
Sibelius: Symphony No.5 in E flat
Interval
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (with folk music improvisations)
Need to know
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This event is held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall Southbank Centre
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