Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons—a collection of four violin concertos from 1725—do not need a special introduction, as they were and are some of the most famous pieces by the Italian composer and constitute a revolutionary moment in musical history. With them, Vivaldi introduced and evolved what is now termed “program music,” a form of composition that captures a narrative using descriptive and pictorial elements, often expressing scenes and sounds from nature and daily activity.

Vivaldi even accompanied his four concertos with four sonnets, each having three stanzas that correspond with the musical imagery the composition conveys.

As autumn has come, let us listen to Vivaldi’s rendering of that season, its atmosphere, and activities. The special recording we have selected is performed by Apollo’s Fire – The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, an extraordinary ensemble of ancient music played on period instruments under Grammy-Award-winning conductor Jeannette Sorrell.

Autumn, 1st movement - Allegro
Celebrates the peasant, with songs and dances,
The pleasure of a bountiful harvest.
And fired up by Bacchus' liquor,
many end their revelry in sleep.
Autumn, 2nd movement - Adagio molto
Everyone is made to forget their cares and to sing and dance
By the air which is tempered with pleasure
And (by) the season that invites so many, many
Out of their sweetest slumber to fine enjoyment.

Autumn, 3rd movement - Allegro
The hunters emerge at the new dawn,
And with horns and dogs and guns depart upon their hunting
The animal flees and they follow its trail;
Terrified and tired of the great noise
Of guns and dogs, the animal, wounded, threatens
Languidly to flee, but harried, dies.

Related:

The Four Seasons (Vivaldi) on Wikipedia

Apollo’s Fire home page


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14 Comments

  3. How wonderful this music to start my Saturday morning. The stanzas of Vivaldi sonnet to read along with listening made it even more endearing. Thank you Catherine.

    1. Credit entirely to Ulike. She writes them and finds the versions and does a magnificent job. We were looking for something about September and Autumn. I was thinking the Four Seasons would be too over used – especially because I constantly reach for Vivadi. But she knew better!

  4. Catherine and Solari Team, thanks for this beautiful version of Vivaldi’s Autunno. Have you ever come across the study on baroque music’s power to improve productivity if played in the background of labor-intense environments, due to its rational rhythm?

    1. I have not seen. Would love to see. I play Vivaldi almost every day when I work. I have two complete Vivaldi collections here in the Netherlands office – one for backup. You can get them at the flea markets here for very little. Best work music I know. After Vivald, Bach! If Mr. Global throws me into a state of incoherence, best way to return to coherence is Bach or visiting with the local cows.

      1. Silvia:
        Someone gave me a 50 CD collection of a complete history of organ music. It was remarkable to start through from the beginning and the reach the period when the Italians came in. Total transformation. Much greater complexity combined with a powerful lightness. Organ music became joyful – filled with the covenant of grace. I always wonder what happened in the world to bring about this transformation.
        Catherine

      2. At Christmas, we went to Amsterdam for a candlelight concert of the 4 Seasons. On the way in by car, I read to our group the poem narrative that Vivaldi wrote to accompany it so they would understand his thinking. To my surprise, the quartet recited it as part of the concert. Was quite beautiful.

        1. Catherine,
          Glad to hear you love baroque music, my favorite too! I will try to dig up that study I referred, it was quite remarkable. I think the transformation that you are referring to, is the Renaissance, that was actually born in Italy, and then later spread across the continent. I see Renaissance as the most complex and rich cultural movement embracing art, literature, spirituality as well as music and all other expression of the uniqueness of the genius of man.

          It is true that the Italian organ composers between the Renaissance and the Baroque era carried out a real revolution in the history of organ music, although Vivaldi himself was more of an expression of the late Venitian baroque focused on violin, much less focused on organ than Bach.
          I am sure you know it, but in case you don’t, I recommend also from Vivaldi his second most famous and amazing composition, l’Estro Armonico. Another great Italian baroque composer is Tomaso Albinoni, who is famous mostly for his Adagio. You have to come to a concert in Milano’s Teatro alla Scala, the symphony Orchestra is unique, I guarantee.

          1. Yes. have only been to Teatro alla Scala once. Magnificant. The statue of Leonardo outside is one of my favorites. Is it possible for us to inspire and finance more Renaissance? I think about this a lot. It is consciousness first and foremost that brings real transformation.

          2. I believe it is possible. In my view one way is through education. My dream is to set up a school, or better, an educational path all the way to university that places the uniqueness and majesty of being human as its teaching cornerstone. You make the perfect example: Vivaldi music is available at very reasonable price in the flea market, but how many people have consciousness of this opportunity? How many schools in west do teach these days the power of classical music to speak so profoundly and to be a balm to human soul? And yet music is universal, is one single languge. I believe we should invest all we can in promoting all the expressions of human creativity, because creativity is what makes human being unique, I would argue is the last line of defence that divides humans from trans humans, whatever that could possibly mean. People who loose the perception of who they are and where they come from, and what has inspired their ancestors to limitless creativity are very easily turned into slaves.

          3. Silvia

            Could not agree more. We are also working on starting a University. We would start with a few on line courses and then try to grow to a physical university with a library and cathedral that is networked globally. Long standing dream…just turtling towards it.

            Catherine

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