The [Uncertain] Four Seasons

As Kammerensemble Konsonanz, social responsibility matters a lot to us. We use our creative talents to support good causes that need more attention (for example climate change).

Using the expressiveness of artistic tools, our project “The [Uncertain] Four Seasons” tries not just to reach people’s minds, but also their hearts – in order to engage more people in climate protection.

Antonio Vivaldi’s famous and much-loved composition “Four Seasons” is the musical basis of our project. Using Artificial Intelligence tools, Vivaldi’s composition is altered in a way that makes climate change predictions for 2050 audible: it results in a re-composition called “The [Uncertain] Four Seasons”. We draw scientific data from the most important global climate change research networks – for example the CMIP network that makes climate data around the world comparable.

Our project will be part of the official supporting programme of the UN Climate Change Conference in November 2021. Orchestras from around the globe – from Australia, Costa Rica, Kenya, Canada, Slovenia, the Netherlands, South Korea, South Africa, Brazil, Venezuela and Panama – take part in this project. We (Kammerensemble Konsonanz) act as musical representatives for Germany.

Climate change prognoses for the year 2050 have been calculated for the location of every participating orchestra. Those climate data, therefore, reflect the regional consequences of climate change. For us in Germany, climate change in 2050 will mean: more dry periods, but also more strong rain, more serious storms, rising sea levels that flood coastal areas – and particularly far hotter summers with drastic consequences for our health – if we cannot reduce the effects of climate change!

Our project will represent the Bremen version of „The [Uncertain] Four Seasons”. Our version has been recorded and filmed at Klimahaus Bremerhaven, our national Climate Science Centre. Together with the “Uncertain” versions of the other participating orchestras, it will be shown at the UN Climate Change Conference 2021.

In addition to that, we will develop a short film (20 minutes) with animated illustrations by Chilean artist Claudio Diaz. This film will visualise the expressive music of “The [Uncertain] Four Seasons” and will be shown in different cinemas and at festivals. Well-known persons, for example polar researcher Prof. Antje Boetius, will add personal messages to our film to encourage people to stand up for more climate change.

We want to motivate as many people as possible to spring into action for more climate change. Our target group are both people who are not yet interested in climate protection and people who care about protecting our planet. Furthermore, we want to inspire our audience with innovative arts projects that advocate social change.

Man-made climate change is one of the most pressing problems we currently face. In order to protect our planet and keep it for future generations, we have to act now. Therefore, we do not want to convey rational facts on climate change, but to touch people’s hearts emotionally with our innovative creative approach: Everyone can do something to fight climate change! Every little helps!

We belong to a new generation of classical musicians that find it important to include social topics in their projects and that strive for musical innovation.

Leading climate scientists such as Antje Boetius (Alfred Wegener Institut, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research) and Prof. Veronika Eyring (University of Bremen, Leibniz Prize Winner, co-author of the current UN climate report) support our project.

Our project is considered very innovative: It is supported by the “closeup scholarship” of our local media promotion agency “nordmedia” and by Starthaus Bremen. However, this funding is not enough to fully finance our project. Please support us by donating some money.

The project with its two parts costs around 54,000€, distributed as follows: fees for Konsonanz musicians (21 persons, per person: 8 full days of rehearsals, 1 complete recording studio day, 1 concert plus individual preparations at home: 17,440€), project management (4,000€), illustration (10,000€), video and music recordings for both parts (20,000€), logistics and transport (9,560€).
So far, we have collected the sum of 32,000€. Unfortunately, this is not enough to fully fund our project (fees for musicians, organisation team, illustration team, camera team, rent of rehearsal spaces, transport). As a freelancing professional orchestra, we want to pay all people involved in this project fair fees.