Royal Philharmonic Orchestra give Antonio Vivaldi a new twist for Cancer Research UK

Today, Cancer Research UK, in collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, re-released Antonio Vivaldi’s iconic Spring composition, but with a surprising twist. The beautifully re-imagined concerto, was performed by the nation’s favourite orchestra, but with a third of the original notes missing.

The new creation has been composed to highlight how vital gifts left in Wills are to Cancer Research UK. One-third of the charity’s life-saving research is funded in this way and ground-breaking advances in beating cancer sooner have been achieved thanks to these essential and generous donations.



Fans of Vivaldi’s original masterpiece will recognise the iconic opening before hearing the familiar melodies developing in an unexpected and intriguing way. While still recognisable, the new arrangement clearly shows the impact that taking away a third of the notes has on the tune. The notes are gradually placed back in towards the end, building to a powerful crescendo.

The new arrangement of Vivaldi’s Spring was created by London based composer Chris Roe, who has previously been nominated for a British Composer Award for his orchestral work, ‘In Search of Strategy’.

Chris Roe comments: “Vivaldi’s original Spring is one of the most celebrated and famous pieces of music - everyone knows it in one way or another. It is an uplifting and jovial piece of music and, as a composer, it went against my natural instincts to take away a third of the notes. We wanted to make the biggest impression as musically possible, and now the piece has been transformed to be tentative and uneasy. The impact is immediate and is a powerful illustration of the effect that a missing third of something can have.”

Sarah Squire, senior legacy manager, Cancer Research UK, said: “Many people don’t realise that gifts left in Wills fund a third of Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work, making legacy giving vital for us. “Our work to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer has saved millions of lives, but we won’t stop until we’ve beaten cancer for good. That’s why it’s so important that people continue supporting us through legacy gifts. We hope our new arrangement of Vivaldi’s Spring will inspire supporters to continue funding that third of our work to enable us to keep up the pace of our research in the future.”

Sue Deans, a cancer survivor and supporter of Cancer Research UK, said: “When I was diagnosed with melanoma, making a Will was one of the first things I did and I made sure I included a legacy gift for Cancer Research UK. One in two of us will develop cancer at some point in our lives and even if we don’t get cancer ourselves, we’ll know people who will. Gifts in Wills make research possible and without it, I may not have seen my grandson grow up, which is a very sad thought. Since recovering from cancer, I feel I’ve been given my life back.”

To find out more about leaving a gift in your Will to Cancer Research UK, visit: cruk.org/onethird