Finally!
Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons is one of the most famous song cycles ever composed. It’s a piece of music that I’ve enjoyed for decades.
And I’m finally hearing it in my Vivaldi exploration!
What a perfect time for it, too. As Spring struggles to emerge here in Michigan (it’s only April 5, after all; so maybe I should cut Miss Spring some slack), it seems only fitting that I listen to the chipper Spring composition on this overcast and chilly morning.
It’s the perfect backdrop to my reading and writing about the apologetic book TACTICS by Gregory Koukl. (I have to write a book review for it.)
So, here I am at Panera, in my usual spot, sipping Light Roast coffee laced with cinnamon, and feeling a cold breeze coming down on my from above. I swear, Panera has the air conditioning turning on!
Lots of concerts planned for this year. Lots of new movies to see. Apparently, 2024 will be the Year of Creative Experiences.
Just the Facts
Vivaldi CD 13features 18 tracks for a total running time of 54:49.
L’Arte dell’Arco returns, with Federico Guiglielmo at the helm.
For this CD, the players are:
Federico Guglielmo, solo violin and concertmaster
Isabella Bison, violin I
Mauro Massa, violin II
Mario Paladin, viola
Luigi Puxeddu, cello
Alessandro Pivelli, violone/double bass
Roberto Loreggian, harpsichord/chamber organ
Ivano Zanenghi, theorbo/baroque guitar
From the Wikipedia entry about The Four Seasons,
The Four Seasons (Italian: Le quattro stagioni) is a group of four violin concerti by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi, each of which gives musical expression to a season of the year. These were composed around 1718–1720, when Vivaldi was the court chapel master in Mantua. They were published in 1725 in Amsterdam, together with eight additional concerti, as Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione (The Contest Between Harmony and Invention).
The Four Seasons is the best known of Vivaldi’s works. Though three of the concerti are wholly original, the first, “Spring”, borrows patterns from a sinfonia in the first act of Vivaldi’s contemporaneous opera Il Giustino. The inspiration for the concertos is not the countryside around Mantua, as initially supposed, where Vivaldi was living at the time, since according to Karl Heller they could have been written as early as 1716–1717, while Vivaldi was engaged with the court of Mantua only in 1718.
They were a revolution in musical conception: Vivaldi represented flowing creeks, singing birds (of different species, each specifically characterized), a shepherd and his barking dog, buzzing flies, storms, drunken dancers, hunting parties from both the hunters’ and the prey’s point of view, frozen landscapes, and warm winter fires.
This recording is marked DDD, which means it is an all-digital recording. (Digitally recorded, Digitally mixed, and Digitally mastered.) Purists, those folks who think vinyl sounds better than CDs (they’re wrong) would probably look askance at this recording. To my ears, this is the best way to record music to precisely capture every note. But what do I know?
Just the Feelings
Recording quality: 5
Overall musicianship/vocals: 5
CD liner notes: 2 (booklet in box set)/5 (pdf download from web site)
How does this make me feel: 5
Another terrific recording from Brilliant Classics!
My favorite “season” in this song cycle is “Spring.” But they’re all fascinating.
And played so very well.
I’ve written it and said it dozens, if not hundreds, of times: Brilliant Classics is a hidden gem. For my money, they’re the best Classical music label in the world – if high-quality performances at a value price are what you’re looking for. And why shouldn’t it be?
Highly recommended!