Classics Explained: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons - CD

CD - 1

Antonio Vivaldi

An Introduction to … VIVALDI: The 4 Seasons

 

1. Introduction: Opening, upward-pointing figure

00:01:33

 

2. Answering, downward figure completes the phrase

00:00:22

 

3. Beginning of dialogue

00:00:25

 

4. The nature of musical conversation; repetition; ' echo ' effect

00:01:26

 

5. Upward pointing to one ' target ' note

00:00:40

 

6. ' Answer ' points to two, downward notes

00:00:11

 

7. Same idea repeated 3 times

00:00:19

 

8. The first Solo section: birdsong from three soloists, not one

00:01:53

 

9. Repeat of ' two-pronged ' theme in orchestra

00:00:22

 

10. Orchestra depicts murmuring stream, but still there's no real melody

00:00:51

 

11. Further illustrative ' water studies '

00:00:32

 

12. Orchestra erupts into thunderstorm

00:00:27

 

13. Orchestral thunder, virtuosic ' lightning ' from soloist - but still no ' tune '

00:00:54

 

14. Soloistic ' birds ' return to the air

00:00:41

 

15. Variant of opening theme, with ' argument ' between two notes, one high, one low

00:00:25

 

16. Cue to First Movement

00:00:20

 

17. First Movement (Complete)

00:03:29

 

18. Scene setting and Main Theme of Second Movement

00:01:56

 

19. Analytical comment and Main Theme again

00:00:57

 

20. Main Theme varied

00:00:41

 

21. Further variation, tracing slow, descending scale-steps

00:00:43

 

22. Analytical discussion of ' pace ' and ' tempo ' ; further variant of main theme

00:02:51

 

23. Vivaldi springs a surprise, reversing direction and heightening tension

00:00:44

 

24. Analytical cue to Second Movement

00:00:44

 

25. Second Movement (Complete)

00:02:35

 

26. Undercover ' bagpipes ' initiate the finale

00:01:05

 

27. Second part of Main Theme: new notes, same rhythm

00:00:18

 

28. An ' echo ' with a difference

00:00:23

 

29. Reminder of ' echoed ' phrase in its original form

00:00:12

 

30. Surprise variant provides springboard into new descending four-note pattern

00:00:19

 

31. Unexpected, ' flowing ' entrance of soloist

00:00:36

 

32. The use of ' sequence ' in first extended solo

00:01:21

 

33. Vivaldi prepares expectation...

00:00:19

 

34. ... and frustrates it by bringing in a new theme, using his four-note ' motto '

00:01:07

 

35. Violins accompanied by flowing ' commentary ' in lower strings

00:00:34

 

36. Soloist returns with new variant

00:00:36

 

37. Pace slows as violins trace another four-note scalewise descent

00:00:24

 

38. The peasants return with the main theme, which turns unexpectedly downward

00:00:47

 

39. Intensification as harmonies change under broad, descending four-note ' motto '

00:00:37

 

40. Mini-earthquake transformed into harmonic landslide

00:00:46

 

41. Critical mood-change in soloist's lonely soliloquy

00:00:42

 

42. Cue to restoration of main theme in its entirety as the movement ends

00:00:22

 

43. Third Movement (complete)

00:04:15

 

44. Scene setting and opening of First Movement

00:00:34

 

45. Expanded groups of answering phrase

00:00:24

 

46. Upper and lower strings alternately succumb to lethargy

00:00:49

 

47. As in ' Spring ', soloist enters with birdsong

00:00:34

 

48. Orchestra hijacks soloist's material

00:00:40

 

49. Soloist returns,first as turtle-dove, then as goldfinch

00:00:50

 

50. Gentle breezes give away to North Wing

00:01:03

 

51. The storm subsides; soloist enters as weeping peasant boy

00:01:00

 

52. Movement ends as storm returns

00:00:17

 

53. First Movement (complete)

00:05:20

 

54. Second movement opens with extremecontrasts

00:01:34

 

55. Second Movement (complete)

00:02:28

 

56. Stormy Weather; thunder

00:00:37

 

57. Lightning from upper strings

00:00:22

 

58. More lightning: ' heat ' lightning from violins, ' fork ' lightning from violas

00:00:24

 

59. Torrential rain, depicted by entire orchestra

00:00:46

 

60. Deferred entry of solo violin, in virtuoso vein

00:00:54

 

61. Peasant's failing resolve as violin spirals down

00:00:21

 

62. Nature triumphant; soloist draws on orchestra's 'rain' music

00:01:35

 

63. The peasant's capitulation

00:00:23

 

64. Third Movement (complete)

00:03:03

CD - 2

Antonio Vivaldi

An Introduction to … VIVALDI: The 4 Seasons

 

1. Repetitiousness and folk music; the movement's opening

00:01:17

 

2. Secondary theme, a closely related development of the first

00:00:28

 

3. Solo entry restates the opening theme, ' double-stopping '

00:01:05

 

4. Unexpectedly, a new theme where a repeat might be expected

00:00:36

 

5. The soloist as ' drunkard '

00:00:45

 

6. Further violinistic slips and slides

00:00:15

 

7. Orchestra re-enters with main theme, but is interrupted by the drunkard

00:00:18

 

8. Other drunks join in ' dialogue ' with the orchestra

00:01:01

 

9. The orchestral peasants continue their dancing, but things have changed

00:00:57

 

10. Enter another drunk, courtesy of the virtuoso soloist

00:00:40

 

11. The dance breaks up

00:00:38

 

12. The drunkard interrupts again, then falls asleep, breathing heavily

00:00:56

 

13. Conversation amongst the sober peasants leads to their final dance

00:00:24

 

14. First Movement (complete)

00:04:46

 

15. Scene-setting for Second Movement

00:01:08

 

16. Second Movement (complete)

00:02:45

 

17. Similarities between the Third Movement and the First

00:01:06

 

18. Expectation and surprise: Vivaldi tacks on one bar too many

00:00:27

 

19. A case of predictable unpredictablity: novelty and repetition

00:00:36

 

20. Soloist's double-stopping depicts hunting horns

00:00:34

 

21. Orchestra yields to unexpected display of virtuosity by soloist

00:00:38

 

22. Soloist suddenly takes the part of the fleeing beast

00:00:25

 

23. Symmetrical paralels with First Movement: ' beast ' / ' drunkard ' etc

00:00:47

 

24. Death of the quarry, end of the movement

00:00:17

 

25. Third Movement (complete)

00:03:13

 

26. Orchestral strings enter, part by part; soloist depicts the biting wind

00:01:24

 

27. Wind subsides and returns, tormenting the trudgers through the snow

00:00:53

 

28. Soloist depicts snow flurries

00:00:27

 

29. Soloist's flurries interrupted by six blasts of orchestral wind

00:00:32

 

30. Teeth chattering, and with stamping feet, the travellers finally reach their goal

00:01:54

 

31. Cue to First Movement as a whole

00:00:11

 

32. First Movement (complete)

00:03:24

 

33. Soloist's ' aria ' accompanied by pizzicato ' raindrops '

00:00:37

 

34. A sequence of simple scales, accompanied by opening rhythm

00:00:33

 

35. Two scalewise ideas for the price of one: foreground and background

00:00:52

 

36. New, rising scale-pattern unfurled with ever-greater breadth

00:00:36

 

37. The pace increases eight-fold in concluding downwards scale

00:00:36

 

38. Against an unvarying tempo, the pace is repeatedly varied

00:01:03

 

39. Foreground / Background

00:00:34

 

40. Detailed discussion of foreground / background perceptions; analogies with speech

00:02:14

 

41. Second Movement (complete)

00:02:19

 

42. Scene-setting; soloist begins for the first time

00:00:47

 

43. Soloist rises progressively, in sequence, decoratively outling chord of the home key

00:00:26

 

44. First orchestral section; ace is halved; the undermining onset of chromaticism

00:00:47

 

45. The walkers lose their balance and stylishly fall down

00:00:22

 

46. Soloist returns as the original solitary walker and strides away from the others

00:00:23

 

47. One tempo, two rates of speed: fast for the soloist, slow for the orchestra

00:01:51

 

48. Orchestra evokes the warm winds of the Sirocco

00:00:36

 

49. Answering blast from the Borea, the could wind of the north; struggle for supremacy

00:01:07

 

50. Cue to final movement

00:00:23

 

51. Third Movement (complete)

00:03:08