The brilliant Baroque-era artist ANTONIO VIVALDI remains known to many primarily for his violin cycle The Four Seasons. But he was the author of more than 400 concertos for various instruments – solos alone or in various combinations, more than 40 operas, as well as oratorios and cantatas, symphonies, dozens of sonatas for instrumental ensembles. His works were performed throughout Europe, he was commissioned by Louis XVI and Charles VI, and was invited to work in Rome, Milan, Mantua, Trieste and Vienna.
Vivaldi became known as a brilliant violinist from his childhood and when, after completing his studies, was ordained a priest, he was given the post of Maestro di Violino at the “Ospedale della Pieta” (“Charitable Orphanage of Mercy”). This was one of four such institutions in Venice, funded by the Republic of Venice, which gave shelter and education to orphans and children from poor families. In those conservatories, essentially, girls received a high musical education and most of them remained in the choir and orchestra. For their regular twice-monthly concerts, Vivaldi, or as he was called “The Red-Haired Abbot” (“Il Prete Rosso”), composed most of his concertos, cantatas, and sacred works.
The most popular among an extraordinarily wide audience, THE FOUR SEASONS (“Le quattro stagioni”) are the first 4 violin concertos of the cycle of 12 concertos opus 8, composed in 1723. They were published in 1725 in Amsterdam in a collection of all 12 virtuoso concertos under the title Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione (‘An Experiment in Harmony and Invention’), with a dedication to Count Wenzel von Morzin, Vivaldi’s patron of Bohemia.
Each concert, dedicated to a particular season, is constructed in traditional for the instrument concerto 3 parts structure (fast-slow-fast) corresponding to the different months. The work was probably inspired by the picturesque scenery around Mantua and Vivaldi conveyed his impressions by a number of specific, vividly pictorial moments in the music. And the preceding sonnets of his own pen are a kind of literary programme to each movement.
La Primavera (Spring)
Opus 8, No. 1, in E Major
- Allegro–
Festive Spring has arrived,
The birds salute it with their happy song.
And the brooks, caressed by little Zephyrs,
Flow with a sweet murmur.
The sky is covered with a black mantle,
And thunder, and lightning, announce a storm.
When they are silent, the birds
Return to sing their lovely song.
- Largo e pianissimo sempre–
And in the meadow, rich with flowers,
To the sweet murmur of leaves and plants,
The goatherd sleeps, with his faithful dog at his side.
III. Danza pastorale. Allegro–
To the festive sound of pastoral bagpipes,
Dance nymphs and shepherds,
At Spring’s brilliant appearance.
L’Estate (Summer)
Opus 8, No. 2, in G minor
- Allegro non molto–
Under the heat of the burning summer sun,
Languish man and flock; the pine is parched.
The cuckoo finds its voice, and suddenly,
The turtledove and goldfinch sing.
A gentle breeze blows,
But suddenly, the north wind appears.
The shepherd weeps because, overhead,
Lies the fierce storm, and his destiny.
- Adagio; Presto–
His tired limbs are deprived of rest
By his fear of lightning and fierce thunder,
And by furious swarms of flies and hornets.
III. Presto–
Alas, how just are his fears,
Thunder and lightening fill the Heavens, and the hail
Slices the tops of the corn and other grain.
L’Autunno (Autumn)
Opus 8, No. 3, in F Major
- Allegro–
The peasants celebrate with dance and song,
The joy of a rich harvest.
And, full of Bacchus’s liquor,
They finish their celebration with sleep.
- Adagio molto–
Each peasant ceases his dance and song.
The mild air gives pleasure,
And the season invites many
To enjoy a sweet slumber.
III. Allegro–
The hunters, at the break of dawn, go to the hunt.
With horns, guns, and dogs they are off,
The beast flees, and they follow its trail.
Already fearful and exhausted by the great noise,
Of guns and dogs, and wounded,
The exhausted beast tries to flee, but dies.
L’Inverno (Winter)
Opus 8, No. 4, in F minor
- Allegro non molto–
Frozen and trembling in the icy snow,
In the severe blast of the horrible wind,
As we run, we constantly stamp our feet,
And our teeth chatter in the cold.
- Largo–
To spend happy and quiet days near the fire,
While, outside, the rain soaks hundreds.
III. Allegro–
We walk on the ice with slow steps,
And tread carefully, for fear of falling.
Symphony, If we go quickly, we slip and fall to the ground.
Again we run on the ice,
Until it cracks and opens.
We hear, from closed doors,
Sirocco, Boreas, and all the winds in battle.
This is winter, but it brings joy.