Antonio Vivaldi: Spring

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi   (*   March   4, 1678   in   Venice ; †   July   28, 1741   in   Vienna ) was a Venetian   Composer   and   Violinist   in the   Baroque .

The Four Seasons   (Italian   Le quattro stagioni ) is the name of probably the most famous work   Antonio Vivaldi's. It is four   violin concertos   with extra-musical   programs; Each concert portrays a   season. In addition, a   sonnet   - presumably written by Vivaldi himself - precedes each of the individual concerts; Consecutive letters before each line and at the corresponding places in the   Score   assign verbal description to music.

Vivaldi had experimented repeatedly before with extra-musical programs, which are often reflected in his titles; The precise interpretation of individual passages of the score, however, is unusual for him. His experience as a virtuoso violinist allowed him to access particularly effective playing techniques; As an opera composer, he had developed a strong sense for effects; Both of these things worked to his advantage here.

As the title suggests, it is primarily natural phenomena that are imitated - gentle winds, violent storms and thunderstorms are elements that appear in all four concertos. In addition there are different bird voices and even a dog, further human activities like hunting, a peasant dance, skating including stumbling and falling down up to the heavy sleep of a drunk.

The work dates from the year 1725 and is preserved in two printed editions, which apparently appeared more or less simultaneously in Amsterdam and Paris.