Building a Collection #78: Vivaldi's The Four Seasons

With recommended recordings

Building a Collection #78

The Four Seasons (Le quattro stagioni)

By Antonio Vivaldi

____________

“If you don’t like this, I’ll stop writing music.”

-Antonio Vivaldi

We have arrived at #78 on our count up covering the top 250 greatest classical works of all-time. We have arrived at what might be the most popular classical work ever composed, namely Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons (Le quattro stagioni).

I know what you might say…yes, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons is one of the most overexposed compositions in all of music. Why do we have to hear it again? The fact that The Four Seasons is overplayed and perhaps too familiar does not diminish the fact that the music is brilliant and a work of genius.

Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice, Italy in 1678 and died in Vienna, Austria in 1741. The composer of literally hundreds of works, Vivaldi is recognized as the master of the Baroque instrumental concerto. Today, Vivaldi is best known for his programmatic set of four violin concertos known as The Four Seasons. Originally part of a larger set of 12 concertos titled Il cimento dell’Armonia e dell’Inventione (The Contest of Harmony and Invention), the first four concertos of the set were given titles from the four seasons beginning with Spring. These four concertos are the most famous concertos from the Baroque period in classical music.

We don’t have many details concerning Vivaldi’s early life. Antonio’s father was a violinist, and likely his first teacher. Vivaldi may have studied with other well-known virtuosi of the time, but there is little evidence of it. As a young man, Vivaldi studied for the Roman Catholic priesthood and was ordained in 1703. Thus, Vivaldi became known as the “il prete rosso” (the red-haired priest), but soon after ordination he refused to take on his duties as a priest. It is unclear his reasons for not working as a priest, though it may have been because of his increased interest in composition.

Vivaldi would soon find work teaching violin at a girls’ orphanage in Venice, and during this time he would publish a set of trio sonatas and another of violin sonatas. The word soon spread throughout Europe of Vivaldi’s great talent, and in 1711 a set of his concertos for violin were published under the title L’estro armonico (Harmonic Inspiration). The set quickly became very popular, even inspiring J.S. Bach to transcribe some of the concertos. Vivaldi became quite prolific and was known for being able to write concertos quickly. Several more sets of concertos followed, and thereafter Vivaldi also began composing operas, and although he wrote over 50 operas, they never achieved the success of his concertos. Working as a court composer, Vivaldi also traveled a lot to Austria. Throughout most of his career, Vivaldi composed works for nobility and high society. Later in his career, he was followed by rumors of a sexual liaison with one of his students, and he was censured by the Church authorities (although no evidence was ever found they had a sexual relationship). When his reputation in Italy soured, he eventually ended up living in Vienna, where he died at the age of 63.

Igor Stravinsky is quoted as saying of Vivaldi, “Vivaldi didn’t write 400 concertos, he wrote one concerto 400 times.” While an unfair characterization, Vivaldi’s concertos do tend to all have similar form, structure, and sound. His compositions are easily recognizable today, but in his time, Vivaldi was a pioneer in orchestration, violin technique, and in using programmatic themes in his music. He was much admired and imitated and was a significant influence on Bach in particular. Vivaldi’s inventive use of harmony, melody, and ornate orchestration in ways that revealed his spirit and extroverted nature was unique. Clearly Vivaldi’s popularity is warranted given how pleasurable it is to listen to his music despite what the critics may say.

While we take Vivaldi’s popularity for granted today, his music fell out of favor for nearly two centuries. Due to a revival in the early 20th century, and a lot of subsequent research, Vivaldi once again became a household name in classical music.

In the early 20th century, virtuoso violinist Fritz Kreisler's Concerto in C, in the Style of Vivaldi (which he tried to pass off as an original Vivaldi work) helped revive Vivaldi's reputation. Kreisler's Concerto in C spurred the French scholar Marc Pincherle to begin an academic study of Vivaldi's works. Many Vivaldi manuscripts were rediscovered, which led to a renewed interest in Vivaldi by, among others, Mario Rinaldi, Alfredo Casella, Ezra Pound, Olga Rudge, Desmond Chute, Arturo Toscanini, Arnold Schering and Louis Kaufman, all of whom were instrumental in the revival of Vivaldi throughout the 20th century.

In 1926, in a monastery in Piedmont, researchers discovered fourteen bound volumes of Vivaldi's work that were previously thought to have been lost during the Napoleonic Wars. Some missing tomes in the numbered set were discovered in the collections of the descendants of the Grand Duke Durazzo, who had acquired the monastery complex in the 18th century. The volumes contained 300 concertos, 19 operas and over 100 vocal-instrumental works.

The resurrection of Vivaldi's unpublished works in the 20th century greatly benefited from the noted efforts of Alfredo Casella, who in 1939 organized the historic Vivaldi Week, in which the rediscovered Gloria (RV 589) and l'Olimpiade were revived. Since World War II, Vivaldi's compositions have enjoyed wide distribution and success. Historically informed performances, often on "original instruments", have increased Vivaldi's fame still further.

The Four Seasons (Le quattro stagioni)

The Four Seasons are a set of four violin concertos, each giving expression to a particular season of the year. The programmatic nature of the concertos was revolutionary at the time, with Vivaldi using music to represent flowing water, singing birds of different species, a shepherd, buzzing flies, storms, dancers, parties, frozen landscapes, and warm fires. Rather uniquely, Vivaldi also published sonnets to be used for each concerto and in those sonnets, he expressed what mood the music was meant to elicit. Vivaldi went to great lengths in order to match the music to the lines in the sonnets and even matched the three movements of each concerto to three parts of each sonnet. The author of the sonnets is unknown but may well have been Vivaldi himself.

The Four Seasons are arranged as follows:

Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269, "Spring" (La primavera)

1. Allegro (in E major)

2. Largo e pianissimo sempre (in C♯ minor)

3. Allegro pastorale (in E major)

Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, "Summer" (L'estate)

1. Allegro non molto (in G minor)

2. Adagio e piano – Presto e forte (in G minor)

3. Presto (in G minor)

Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293, "Autumn" (L'autunno)

1. Allegro (in F major)

2. Adagio molto (in D minor)

3. Allegro (in F major)

Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, "Winter" (L'inverno)

1. Allegro non molto (in F minor)

2. Largo (in E♭ major)

3. Allegro (in F minor)

The full text of the accompanying sonnets can be found here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Seasons_(Vivaldi)

The structure of each concerto is familiar, with the fast - slow - fast layout of the movements. These are not long concertos, about 10-12 minutes each. Some of Vivaldi’s markings on speeds and dynamics are either not indicated or unclear. Therefore, there are many ways these concertos can be played, as we will find out when listening to the many recordings available.

The Essential Recording

As you probably know, recordings of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons are legion. There are some outstanding recordings, many more that are middle of the road, and also a few stinkers out there. But the recording that really stands out for me is by the Venice Baroque Orchestra led by violinist Giuliano Carmingola played on baroque period instruments, and recorded by Sony Classical in Manzano, Italy in 1999.

Let me be clear that the range of styles and approaches to The Four Seasons is so vast and exhaustive that to say one recording gets it exactly right is absurd. For most it will come down to taste. For the most part, when I am listening to a piece of Baroque classical music, I like to hear it in the original style and with period instruments. But even that does not always hold true, since I quite enjoy some Vivaldi, Bach, and Handel on modern instruments. For The Four Seasons, there are literally dozens of recordings on period instruments, some with faster tempi and some slower. There are also dozens of recordings on modern instruments, some played faster and some played slower. You will also notice a wide range of dynamic choices as well among recordings.

For starters, this recording projects a clear, warm sound. The violinist and orchestra are captured well. Second, Carmignola and the Venetians don’t just play the music, it feels as though they are inside the music. The playing is dramatic, committed, and visionary. Yes, it is true they play extraordinarily fast at times (which I happen to enjoy in these concertos), but they also use a lot of discretion with the slow movements, and they know how to build the intensity. Yes, it is true the instruments are “rustic” sounding, and the strings are somewhat thrashed about. When I say rustic, there is almost an antique quality to the orchestra. This results in a sound which is not always smooth, but actually rather harsh where appropriate but also lighter where needed. For me, this only adds to the impact of the recording. The sound created feels authentic (though none of us can say for sure of course what it would sound like in Vivaldi’s time). But the period approach allows more articulation on the strings, alongside an overall lighter texture. The playing here is exciting but almost seems effortless, and it is clear Carmingola and the orchestra have thoroughly studied this music and own it. Rhythms are taut and exhilarating. This is music-making of the highest order that, for me, gets to the heart of Vivaldi.

For this recording, Carmignola studied historical performance practice during Vivaldi’s time, and employed much of the techniques of the time. There are a lot of personal touches, but overall, there is an effort to present as much of an authentic performance as possible.

Recommended Recordings

All recommended and honorable mention recordings are played with solo violin and string orchestra, so while The Four Seasons has been recorded in many other forms and for other solo instruments, those recordings have not been considered for this survey.

In full-blooded sound, the great violinist Salvatore Accardo with I Solisti di Napoli, recorded by Philips in 1988, remains a recommendation. On modern instruments, I really enjoy how well you can hear the harpsichord in the background. Accardo takes many liberties, but they are enjoyable ones. I find this to be as moving a performance as you might find, though perhaps not as viscerally exciting as those listed above.

Nigel Kennedy’s first go around with The Four Seasons with the English Chamber Orchestra on EMI generated tremendous buzz when it was first released and quickly became one of the best-selling classical music albums of all-time. Recorded on modern instruments in 1989, it has many charms and still sounds fresh. I have always enjoyed the English Chamber Orchestra in their many recordings, and this is no exception. Kennedy shows why he was such a hot artist at the time, with stunning playing and a generous amount of vibrato (if that is your thing).

Il Giardino Armonico from Milan and violinist/leader Enrico Onofri recorded The Four Seasons in 1993 on Teldec to great acclaim, and I return to this version quite often for its excitement. On period instruments and with speeds that are fleeter than most versions, this recording was rather shocking at the time it was released. It still packs a punch and suggests Vivaldi as the rockstar of his time. While I completely enjoy it, I wouldn’t want this as my only Four Seasons because there are some other recordings which are more subtle.

Perhaps a bit of a dark-horse, another favorite of mine is the fabulous Taiwanese American violinist Cho-Liang Lin with the International Sejong Soloists and well-known harpsichordist Anthony Newman recorded in September 2005 in the Church of Holy Trinity, New York City by the budget label Naxos. On modern instruments, there are many individual touches and flourishes which may or may not be written in the score but are certainly delightful and done in an appealing way. Although miles away from Carmignola’s winning version, this is enjoyable in its own right.

The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with soloist Sarah Chang on Warner, on modern instruments from 2007. One of the very finest Four Seasons of all, this is my favorite version of those on modern instruments. Chang is impressive, and she has maintained her consistently outstanding form throughout her career. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra adds to its remarkable discography with this recording.

Rachel Podger leads the Brecon Baroque group in a one-to-a-part recording with Podger on baroque violin. A period instrument performance released in 2018 by Channel Classics, this is a close runner up to Carmignola, with excellent sound and a lively showing by Podger and her band. A winner of many awards, this is also one of my favorites.

Théotime Langlois de Swarte’s superb 2024 Four Seasons with Le Consort was recorded in the Grande Salle de L’Arsenal in Metz, France for Harmonia Mundi. The first thing that struck me was the refined and cultivated sound produced by de Swarte as well as Le Consort. A great deal of thought clearly went into each concerto and even each phrase, but overall, there is an organic and flowing impression. With some versions of The Four Seasons, we can sense the violin and orchestra being pulled, shredded, and pounded. But not here. The first priority seems to be maintaining the lyrical line, and so there is somewhat more legato phrasing than in some other modern recordings. I quite like it, especially because de Swarte and company are able to vary it as needed, even at times playing quite aggressively. But even in those more aggressive moods, there is a smoothness to the texture that is appealing. De Swarte also is keenly sensitive to the dynamics, and the musicians seem to avoid some of the harsher, rustic aspects of using gut strings. But we still hear some typically clipped phrasing, but it is so tastefully done and is injected selectively based on the mood, which is quite invigorating. Even with the polished string playing, the performance is very rhythmically alive and alert.

Adrian Chandler and his outstanding group La Serenissima recorded The Four Seasons for the second time in 2024 for Signum, and this most recent recording is terrific. While La Serenissima uses period instruments, the sound is full and invigorating. Chandler’s violin is not as sweet and refined as some, but where he wins points is in his strong characterization. This may be closer to a traditional reading of The Four Seasons (if there is such a thing), but it is also intelligent, well prepared, and also includes several individual touches from Chandler’s solo violin. There is a sense of spontaneity there, which is delightful. The rhythmic backbone is heard to good effect, and for me, the interpretive slowing and the somewhat longer than usual pauses between notes and sections work exceedingly well. Generally, speeds are not as rushed as some other recent recordings, but Chandler and the orchestra still produce plenty of excitement. The recorded sound is very good.

Honorable Mention

There is not enough time to analyze every available recording of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Many of the recordings below share some of the most positive qualities of those in the recommended list above, but for one reason or another just didn’t quite make it for me. If you have been listening to Vivaldi for a long time, you may have some favorites which are not listed. Feel free to send me a note with your favorite(s). But I urge you to sample the recordings below as well.

I Solisti di Zagreb / Tomasow (Vanguard 1957)

Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields / Loveday / Marriner (Decca 1970)

London Symphony Orchestra / Kremer / Abbado (DG 1980)

The English Concert / Standage / Pinnock (Archiv 1982)

Drottingholm Baroque Ensemble / Sparf (BIS 1984)

I Musici / Ayo (Universal 1986)

London Philharmonic Orchestra / Perlman (Warner 1987)

Tafelmusik / Lamon (Sony 1992)

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra / Shaham (DG 1994)

Trondheim Soloists / Mutter (DG 1999)

Europa Galante / Biondi (Warner 2000)

Janine Jansen / Wright / Rachlin / Kenny / Watton / Rubingh / Thompson / Jansen (Decca 2004)

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra / Blumenstock / McGegan (Phil Bar 2010)

English Chamber Orchestra / Akiko-Meyers (Eone 2014)

Sydney Symphony Orchestra / Ehnes / Armstrong (Onyx 2015)

La Serenissima / Chandler (La Serenissima 2015)

BBC Symphony Orchestra / Little (Chandos 2016)

Munich Chamber Orchestra / Steinbacher (Pentatone 2018)

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra / Li (Decca 2021)

Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne / Capuçon (Warner 2022)

That’s it for this edition of Building a Collection, and I thank you for joining me on this journey. Next time we will highlight Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610. See you then!

_______________

Notes:

Antonio Vivaldi biography by Alexander Kuznetsov and Louise Thomas, a booklet attached to the CD "The best of Vivaldi", published and recorded by Madacy Entertainment Group Inc, St. Laurent Quebec Canada.

Brennan, Gerald. Mannheim, James. Schrott, Allen. Woodstra, Chris. All Music Guide to Classical Music, The Definitive Guide. All Media Guide. Pp. 1465-1466. Backbeat Books, San Francisco. 2005.

https://classicalcandor.blogspot.com/2013/07/vivaldi-four-seasons-cd-review.html

Heller, Karl (1997). Antonio Vivaldi, The Red Priest of Venice. Portland, Oregon: Amadesu Press. pp. 171. ISBN 978-1-57467-015-8.

https://www.npr.org/2011/07/18/104868631/vivaldi-a-man-for-all-seasons

https://www.quoteikon.com/antonio-vivaldi-quotes.html

https://www.quotemaster.org/Vivaldi

Philip, Robert (2018). The Classical Music Lover's Companion to Orchestral Music. Yale University Press. p. 875. ISBN 9780300120691.

Gerard Schwarz, Musically Speaking – The Great Works Collection: Vivaldi (CVP, Inc., 1995), 13.

Talbot, Michael (2020) [2001]. "Vivaldi, Antonio". In Lockey, Nicholas (ed.). Grove Music Online. Revised by Nicholas Lockey. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

https://www.weigold-boehm.de/en/weigold-boehm/artists/soloists/violin/210-giuliano-carmignola-2.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Seasons_(Vivaldi)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Vivaldi