While Vivaldi penned hundreds of concertos, he is most famous for the set of four grouped under the title Le quattro stagioni , or The Four Seasons. The work was popular in Europe throughout Vivaldi’s lifetime; as one critic wrote in 1740, “Who does not know the Four Seasons of Antonio Vivaldi?” Ironically, modern audiences didn’t—until the collection was revived during the 1960s. The Four Seasons presents a fascinating tension between the standard musical structure composers used during the Baroque era and Vivaldi’s creative instincts. All four concertos fulfill the basic requirements of the genre: they consist of three movements (fast—slow—fast) with ritornello (returning or repeating) sections for the orchestra and flashy solo passages. Sonnets published with each concerto drive the musical content, however. While it is unknown whether Vivaldi wrote the sonnets before or after the music, each poem has a three-part structure that corresponds nicely with the fast-slow-fast concerto form.
La primavera (Spring) is the first of the four concertos. An opening Allegro announces the season’s arrival with twittering birds and murmuring streams. A thunderstorm briefly interrupts the tranquility, but peace is soon restored. A goatherd sleeps beside his faithful dog in the Largo, while rustic bagpipes, nymphs, and shepherds dance in the concluding Allegro.
Allegro
Festive Spring has arrived,
The birds salute it with their happy song.
And the brooks, caressed by little Zephyrs,
Flow with a sweet murmur.
The sky is covered with a black mantle,
And thunder, and lightning, announce a storm.
When they are silent, the birds
Return to sing their lovely song.
Largo
And in the meadow, rich with flowers,
To the sweet murmur of leaves and plants,
The goatherd sleeps, with his faithful dog at his side.
Allegro
To the festive sound of pastoral bagpipes,
Dance nymphs and shepherds,
At Spring's brilliant appearance.
Program notes by © Jennifer More 2024