Four Seasons of Health and Happiness To All

The weather has indeed made news in Europe and America, and seasonal changes and hardships remind us of the unfathomable program Nature imposes on us as we mere mortals adapt as best we can, trying to turn these seasonal changes into moments of growth and revelation. Antonio Vivaldi, in 1723, composed The Four Seasons, a set of four concertos, featuring a violin soloist. It became his best known work, and the number of recordings is legion. In recent years English violinist Nigel Kennedy made a recording (controversial at that, since some felt his novel approach denatured the work) that sold millions. Many people feel that, like Ravel's Bolero, it is now too well-known and has become stale from being over-performed.

I think you'll find this version by the Venice Baroque Orchestra to be as fresh and as fiery as it must have sounded when it was composed. The season is Winter, but "fiery" describes the outstanding performance by violinist Giuliano Carmignola. The video runs over seven minutes. The first movement - a vibrant Allegro - portrays in crescendo the harsh winds and freezing snow; the second movement - a gentle Largo - evokes the coziness of the indoors, by a fire; and the third - another Allegro - depicts people walking gingerly on the ice, falling, and getting back up.

The Four Seasons was especially popular in France, and Louis XV, smitten with the Spring concerto, ordered it to be played on many occasions.



Antonio Vivaldi wrote four sonnets corresponding to the four concertos. Here is an English translation of the his Sonnet Winter from About:

1. Trembling with cold amidst the freezing snow, while a frightful wind harshly blows, running and stamping one's feet every minute, and feeling one's teeth chatter from the extreme cold;
2. Spending quiet contented days by the fire while the rain outside drenches people by the hundreds;
3. Walking on ice, and moving cautiously, with slow steps, for fear of falling, spinning around, slipping, falling down, again walking on ice and running fast until the ice cracks and splits; hearing Sirocco, Boreas, and all the winds at war burst forth from the bolted doors - this is winter, but it also brings joy!

Finally, thanks again to Zazie for the photo.