A.Vivaldi: The Four Seasons for Violin and Guitar

In this exceptional project, Linus Roth and Petrit Çeku offer a fresh and intimate interpretation of Antonio Vivaldi’s timeless masterpiece The Four Seasons. Their original arrangement replaces the traditional string ensemble and continuo with a single guitar, revealing an unexpected transparency in the score and creating a fascinating dialogue between two solo voices.

The guitar becomes at once orchestra, continuo and equal musical partner. Its delicate colours, rhythmic vitality and resonant harmonies surround the luminous voice of the violin, allowing Vivaldi’s vividly painted landscapes to emerge with striking immediacy: birdsong and flowing streams in spring, the oppressive heat and violent storm of summer, the dances and hunt of autumn, and the icy winds and quiet fireside warmth of winter.

The result is neither a reduction nor a historical reconstruction, but an imaginative re-creation of one of the world’s most familiar compositions. Roth and Çeku preserve the theatrical energy and virtuosity of Vivaldi’s music while uncovering a new dimension of intimacy, spontaneity and chamber-musical sensitivity.

Their world-premiere recording, released by Evil Penguin Classic in November 2024, also includes their arrangement of Arcangelo Corelli’s celebrated La Follia, Op. 5, No. 12. Album and programme

Linus Roth — Violin

German violinist Linus Roth has established an international reputation through his compelling interpretations of the classical repertoire and his dedication to rediscovering unjustly neglected works. His debut album received the ECHO Klassik Award for Best Newcomer in 2006, and in 2017 he received a second ECHO Klassik Award for his recording of the violin concertos by Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky with the London Symphony Orchestra under Thomas Sanderling.

A passionate advocate of the music of Mieczysław Weinberg, Roth founded the International Weinberg Society in 2015. He performs internationally as a soloist and chamber musician and is Professor of Violin at the Leopold Mozart Centre at the University of Augsburg. Linus Roth plays the magnificent 1703 “Dancla” Stradivarius, generously loaned by the L-Bank Music Foundation of Baden-Württemberg. Official biography

Petrit Çeku — Guitar

Kosovan guitarist Petrit Çeku is internationally admired for the refinement of his sound, expressive sensitivity and exceptional technical command. Born in Prizren, he studied at the Zagreb Academy of Music with Darko Petrinjak and later at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore with the distinguished guitarist Manuel Barrueco.

Çeku is a prizewinner of numerous major international competitions, including the Michele Pittaluga, Schadt, Maurizio Biasini and Parkening competitions. He has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe and the Americas and has performed with ensembles including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Zagreb Philharmonic and the Zagreb Soloists. Guitar critic Colin Cooper described him as “a soloist of the highest ability.” Artist biography

Critical acclaim:

MusicWeb International described Roth and Çeku as musicians “of the highest calibre” and their interpretation as a “revelatory performance.” The review particularly praised the magnificent sound of Roth’s 1703 “Dancla” Stradivarius and Çeku’s beguiling guitar sonority, noting that the arrangement is realised with such conviction that it can sound as though Vivaldi had originally conceived the work for these two instruments. MusicWeb International review

Pizzicato praised the profound rapport between the two musicians: Çeku creates an extraordinarily rich musical setting in which Roth’s exquisite violin sound can unfold with both virtuosity and delicacy. The result was described as a deeply moving “homage to beauty.” Evil Penguin Classic – reviews