MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

Violinists Benedict Goodfriend (left) and David Ehrlich rehearse an Antonio Vivaldi selection in Ehrlich's home studio in Blacksburg. The violinists will perform in "Viva Vivaldi" in the Covington Center at Radford University on Sunday.

| Amy Matzke-Fawcett

amy.matzke-fawcett@roanoke.com, 381-1674

BLACKSBURG -- One of the most well-known compositions in classical music is Antonio Vivaldi's "Four Seasons."

But a group of area musicians wants to change that. This weekend, Musica Viva will present "Viva Vivaldi," a collection of the composer's lesser-known works.

"What people don't always realize is there are so many other pieces" by Vivaldi, said Benedict Goodfriend, one of the performers.

The concert is Sunday at Radford University. It will feature Goodfriend, of Roanoke's Kandinsky Trio; soprano Ariana Wyatt of Blacksburg; Sheila Browne, a violist from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts; violinist David Ehrlich and cellist Benjamin Wyatt, both of the Avanti Ensemble in Blacksburg; and a full chamber orchestra.

Vivaldi wrote more than 600 pieces, many focusing on what classical musicians would consider strange combinations, such as two violins, Ehrlich said.

"Logistically, they're hard to perform so they were done less and less after his death," he said.

But a few years ago, Ehrlich and Goodfriend decided they wanted people to know more of the composer's work than the movements of "Four Seasons," a song often featured in commercials, as well as concerts and classical recordings.

"There's something about Vivaldi that's just contagious," Goodfriend said. "They're all different, and there's something unique and original about each one."

So they started researching his works, looking for lesser-known works from libraries and collections.

"We want people to be treated to music they don't get to hear often," Ehrlich said.

Ehrlich and Goodfriend have performed versions of the concert before but never with a full chamber orchestra. It's also the first time Musica Viva has done an entire concert of just one composer's work, Ehrlich said.

"This music is a celebration," he said. "It's just fun. It was like the rock of the time."

Recordings will also be made of the works performed in the concert sometime later this year or early next for a CD of Vivaldi works to further introduce the composer to listeners, Ehrlich said.

The recording will probably be available sometime next year, he said, through the Louisiana recording company Centaur Records.