Concert guide · Rome
A string quintet and harpsichord play all four concertos in the medieval Basilica of San Nicola in Carcere.
Likely to sell out. Four violin concertos by Vivaldi inside a church built from Roman temples.
The evening
The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work. In the basilica the four concertos arrive complete, as a set of musical pictures, with the birds, the storm, the hunt and the ice each in its place.
The ensemble is a string quintet with a harpsichord, so the sound stays clear and the solo lines carry. The first half is built from slow, sacred pieces, which gives the faster Four Seasons a calm ground to start from.
San Nicola in Carcere was built in and from three Roman temples, and their columns still show in its walls. The concert is in a room whose structure includes Republican-era Roman temples, in the area near the Capitoline Hill.
Four concertos, four seasons
Vivaldi published each concerto with a sonnet, possibly written by himself, that says what the music depicts. Each has three movements, fast, slow, fast, and each sonnet has three matching sections.
01
Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8
Birdsong, a storm and a sleeping goatherd
Festive birdsong and murmuring streams open the season. Thunderstorms roll in and fade, and the birds return. In the slow movement the goatherd sleeps while his dog barks in the viola section. The finale is a rustic dance of nymphs and shepherds.
02
Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8
Heat, a cuckoo and a sudden storm
Under a hard sun people and flocks languish. The cuckoo, turtledove and goldfinch sing before a north wind sweeps in. The shepherd fears the storm, flies buzz, and the finale breaks into thunder and hail.
03
Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8
A harvest dance and a hunt
Peasants celebrate a good harvest with song and dance, and many end the party asleep. The last movement is the dawn hunt: horns, dogs and guns, and a beast that flees and is wounded.
04
Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8
Ice underfoot, a fire indoors
Shivering in icy snow, stamping feet, chattering teeth. The slow movement moves indoors to a fire while rain falls outside. The finale slips across the ice, and the sonnet ends by saying winter still brings its own delights.
The four concertos make up the second half of the evening. The organiser says the programme may be subject to change.
The church
San Nicola in Carcere is an old church with a long list of previous lives. These four facts come from Turismo Roma and Wikipedia.
In pictures
The nave and its columns, the coffered ceiling, the temple columns in the church wall, the crypt, a harpsichord, and the Theatre of Marcellus and Portico d'Ottavia close to the church.
Church concerts to compare
| Concert | What it offers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Vivaldi's Four Seasons at San Nicola in Carcere | About 1.5 hours. A string quintet and harpsichord play a first half of sacred and Baroque pieces, then all four Four Seasons concertos. Wheelchair accessible. Food and drinks are not allowed inside. | Visitors who want the best-known Baroque work in a medieval Roman basilica. |
| Chopin piano concert by candle glow | About 50 minutes of Chopin played by a pianist in a Waldensian church on Via Quattro Novembre. Wheelchair accessible. Seating is limited. | Visitors who want a shorter, quieter evening of solo piano. |
Church concerts in Rome
Card one is the Vivaldi evening that this guide covers. Card two is a different piano concert from another organiser, with its own running time, rating and fare.
About 1.5 hours. A string quintet and harpsichord play a first half of sacred and Baroque pieces, then all four Four Seasons concertos. Wheelchair accessible. Food and drinks are not allowed inside.
See dates ↗About 50 minutes of Chopin played by a pianist in a Waldensian church on Via Quattro Novembre. Wheelchair accessible. Seating is limited.
See dates ↗More to book in Rome
Before you go
The calendar lists the available dates, and the confirmation gives the start time for the one you choose. Choose by the evening, not by a single piece, because the programme may be subject to change.
The basilica is at Via del Teatro di Marcello 46, close to the Theatre of Marcellus. Put the address into a maps app and allow time to find the door and sit down before the music begins.
The building is an important basilica, and the organiser asks for appropriate clothing. Choose something respectful that you would wear for a church visit.
Neither food nor drink is allowed inside the basilica, so eat before or after the concert; a small fan helps if the evening is warm.
The ticket is for the concert. The underground temple remains are arranged separately, through a different contact.
Anyone who wants a loud night, a dinner or a tour of the ancient temples. This is a seated evening of sacred and Baroque string music, about an hour and a half long.
Guides to the music, the basilica and the walk
Which concert to book What the Vivaldi Four Seasons concert at San Nicola in Carcere includes, how the evening is built, how it differs from a piano recital and who should skip it.
Read the guide →
Getting there Where San Nicola in Carcere stands in Rome, what to wear, what the nave and the temple columns look like, and how to plan the concert evening around it.
Read the guide →FAQ
About 1.5 hours. The booking calendar shows the date, and your confirmation shows the start time.
A first part of sacred and Baroque string pieces, then Vivaldi's four Four Seasons concertos. The organiser says the programme may be subject to change.
I Virtuosi dell'opera di Roma, which the organiser describes as an orchestra of professors from Italian conservatories. For this cycle it is a string quintet and a harpsichord.
At Via del Teatro di Marcello 46 in Rome, in the area near Piazza Venezia and the Theatre of Marcellus.
No. Neither eating nor drinking is allowed in the basilica, so have a meal first.
Wear something respectful that suits a church. The organiser asks for appropriate clothing because the basilica is important.
Yes. It is listed as wheelchair accessible, and a small-group option is available.
No. The ticket is for the concert. Underground visits are arranged separately through a different contact.
The fare quoted is per adult, in US dollars, and is converted at checkout into your own currency.