The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)
The Four Seasons (Italian: Le quattro stagioni) is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Composed in 1723, The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces of Baroque music. The texture of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season. For example, "Winter" is peppered with silvery staccato notes from the high strings, calling to mind icy rain, whereas "Summer" evokes a thunderstorm in its final movement. The first recording of it is a matter of some dispute. There is a CD of one recording made by Alfredo Campoli (Pearl GEMM CD 9151) which is taken from acetates of a French radio broadcast. These acetates are thought to date from early in 1939. The first proper electronic recording was made in 1942 by Bernardino Molinari, and though his adaptation is somewhat different from what we have come to expect from modern performances it is clearly recognizable. This Molinari recording was first issued on six double-sided 78s, then on LP in 1950 and now re-issued on CD (two versions are available, one with more extensive sleeve notes giving the political background). The first commercially succesful recording was I Musici's 1955 recording (it was that ensemble's first recording of any music). This recording renewed such interest in the work that there are now more than 300 recordings of it.
The concertos were first published in 1725 as part of a set of twelve concerti, Vivaldi's Op. 8, entitled Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione (The Contest between Harmony and Invention). The first four concertos were designated Le quattro stagioni, each being named after a season. Each one is in three movements, with a slow movement between two faster ones. At the time of writing The Four Seasons, the modern solo form of the concerto had not yet been defined (typically a solo instrument and accompanying orchestra). Vivaldi's original arrangement for solo violin with string quartet and basso continuo helped to define the form.
List of concertos and movements
- Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269, "La primavera" (Spring)
- Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, "L'estate" (Summer)
- Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293, "L'autunno" (Autumn)
- Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, "L'inverno" (Winter)
Sonnets and allusions
The four concertos were written to go along with four sonnets. Though it is not known who wrote these sonnets, there is a theory that Vivaldi wrote them himself.
In addition to these sonnets, Vivaldi provided instructions such as "The barking dog" (in the second movement of "Spring"), "Languor caused by the heat" (in the first movement of "Summer"), and "the drunkards have fallen asleep" (in the second movement of "Autumn").
The Four Seasons are, therefore, tone poems. Together they are an enduring example of program music. It is often referenced in popular culture.
Transcription for Organ
The Four Seasons Transcription for Organ is the arrangement of the work authored by Jevgenija Lisicina for a master solo performance of the concertos on the pipe organ.
This transcription of the work was finished in the late 1970s. In 1980 the Riga Recording Studio Melodiya recorded the arrangement at the Riga Dome Cathedral and released a gramophone record. In 1989 and 1990, major newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda ranked this gramophone record in its list of the top ten most popular classical music records in the Soviet Union. In 1991 Italian recording company Artis released this arrangement of The Four Seasons on CD. In 2005 Hermana Brauna Fonds and Carmina Baltica released another CD featuring this arrangement for organ.
Media
Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end
Other versions
- Chloë Agnew, the youngest member of Celtic Woman, covered "Concerto No. 4 in F minor" with Italian lyrics and titled it "Rain".
- Hayley Westenra covered the same tune with English lyrics and titled it "River Of Dreams".
- Takayuki Ishikawa, a.k.a. dj TAKA, remixed Winter mvt 1 and titled it "V" (an homage to the original composer), for the popular music simulation video game beatmania IIDX.
- bond (band) covered Winter for their 2001 album Born (album).
External links
- Free scores by The Four Seasons at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
- Free scores of The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi at Mutopia Project
- Spring Concerto Allegro, Largo, Allegro interactive hypermedia (Shockwave required) at the BinAural Collaborative Hypertext
- An in-depth overview and comparison of recordings of the Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi on WETA 90.9's website