Jeddah Season takes music lovers on magical journey with Vivaldi light show

JEDDAH: Visitors to the Jeddah Season of festivities were taken on a magical musical journey during a spectacular light show about the turbulent life of Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi.

The Vivaldianno production put a twist on the story of one of the greatest Baroque composers with the use of 3-D projections and lasers to narrate the highs and lows of the music genius.

The show was a collection of some of Vivaldi’s best works including his “Four Seasons,” in which he gave musical representation to each season of the year played on a group of four violin concerti.

The story started with a narration of the day Vivaldi was born in 1678 in Venice, when it was said that an earthquake shook the city. The infant Vivaldi almost died at birth but as the show revealed was given the breath of life by a mirror with a black frame.

Narrators in Venetian masks went on to depict Vivaldi as a young musician, playing instruments to professional standards from the age of seven.

His career properly kick-started when he was 25 years old, and there were mentions of him finding the mirror and devoting his life to writing and composing music.

He was seen as an isolated and lonely man who spent all of his time working after the love of his life leaves him. At the end of the show the boy who sold him the mirror told Vivaldi that he would be remembered for centuries to come.

Throughout the show the talented musicians interacted with the audience.

Nagham Hashim, 18, a show organizer, said: “When I found out that I would be participating in this event it was the best day of my life.

“Now after listening to this music, I feel more open to the world. I can now enjoy more types of music than ever before because I never really thought I would enjoy this type of music,” she told Arab News.

The Jeddah Season was launched on Saturday in five main destinations across the region, with more than 150 events and expectations that visitor numbers could reach 4 million.

Jeddah Season will provide a wide array of seasonal job opportunities and volunteer opportunities for young people, through an integral team of 20,000 people, gaining expertise and qualifications.

The objectives also shed light on development opportunities, presenting the Kingdom as one of the most popular tourist destinations.

The Saudi Seasons are a combined initiative from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, the General Entertainment Authority, the General Culture Authority and the General Sports Authority.

There are 11 seasons this year covering, all regions of the Kingdom: The Eastern Province (Sharqiah) Season, Ramadan Season, Eid Al-Fitr Season, Jeddah Season, Taif Season, Eid Al-Adha Season, National Day Season, Riyadh Season, Diriyah Season, Al-Ula Season and Hail Season.