The Four Seasons, Op.8 (complete) for violin and piano by Antonio Vivaldi
Urtext edition by Christopher Hogwood. Published by Barenreiter
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was one of the greatest composers of the Baroque Era, as well as a virtuoso violinist and an ordained priest. He was based in Venice early in his career, writing many of his compositions for the all-female musicians of Ospedale della Pieta orphanage. He later worked in Mantua, where he wrote his famous Four Seasons concertos. He worked extensively in the nascent concerto form developed by Corelli, refining it into a leading instrumental form of the late Baroque, influencing Handel and Bach alike. His innovative developments in instrumental color and violin technique as well as the vivid immediacy of his writing have made his work immensely popular in his own time as well as with today's musicians.
Vivaldi's most famous and renowned masterpiece, the collection of four concertos known as "Il quattro stagioni" (The Four Seasons), likely dates from his Mantua years. It is a bit of an anomaly in his output--though they are quintessential Vivaldi in their energy, color, and idiomatic string writing, they also have a descriptive program in the form of sonnets, written by Vivaldi himself. These sonnets correspond with sights and sounds of nature we hear in each concerto--from barking dogs and buzzing flies to stormy summer nights and frozen winter landscapes. Each of these iconic concertos are presented here together in a Barenreiter urtext edition by eminent Baroque scholar Christohper Hogwood. Contains separate unmarked parts for each concerto, as well as critical and historical commentary. Advanced level, Grade 5.
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