The recording I am using throughout this programme is by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with the American-Israeli violinist Gil Shaham. This programme is a movement-by-movement rundown of The Four Seasons, looking at how the music reflects the words of the sonnets. For example, in the score of the second movement of Spring, he alludes to “The barking dog”, in the opening movement of Summer he wrote “Languor caused by the heat” and the words “the drunkards have fallen asleep” in the second movement of Autumn. They are extra-musical works with a narrative element in the form of sonnets and some unusual instructions provided by Vivaldi. This makes them an art form that is distinct from the run-of-the-mill concerto. One of other remarkable things about The Four Seasons is that each concerto was accompanied by an illustrative sonnet, thought to have been written by Vivaldi himself. In these four concerti Vivaldi broke new ground, representing in music the sound of flowing streams, different species of birds singing, buzzing flies, thunderstorms, hunting parties, frozen landscapes, chattering teeth and warm winter fires. And that made The Four Seasons so revolutionary. We all understand the seasons and we can all try to hear depictions of them in The Four Seasons. So what is it about The Four Seasons that has made them so universally popular? I suppose the first thing to say about them is they represent one of the first and best examples of programme music: works that have a central theme. While The Four Seasons was published in 1725, they were actually written some time earlier, around 1716-17.
They are four concertos for violin and orchestra, each depicting a season of the year, and together form part of a set published at the same time called Il cimento dell’armonia e dell-‘inventione, or The Trial of Strength Between Harmony and Invention. But while many of his pieces have stood the test of time and are frequently played and recorded today, none is as popular as Le quattro staggioni, The Four Seasons.ĭon’t regard The Four Seasons as a single work.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was probably the most celebrated and one of the most prolific composer of the Italian Baroque era.Īmong his 800-plus known works are more than 500 concerti, a handful of operas, sacred vocal works and, as befits a virtuoso player (he was a violinist), numerous international works.
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