Richard Tognetti was co-composer for the soundtrack of the film "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" and also served as violin tutor for its star, Russell Crowe.
Cultural Impact
Vivaldi's works, particularly L'estro armonico, influenced leading younger northern composers like Bach, Handel, and Telemann, and encouraged Bach to begin composing his own concertos.
Historical Context
Vivaldi's first published set of concertos, L'estro armonico (Opus 3), was released in Amsterdam in 1711, indicating a high demand for new Italian music in northern Europe.
Performer Biography
Richard Tognetti, the artistic director and lead violinist of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, has performed on period, modern, and electric instruments.
Composition History
Vivaldi dedicated his third collection of concertos, Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione (Opus 8), which includes The Four Seasons, to Count Wenzel von Morzin of Prague, who had appointed him his Maestro di musica in Italia.
Instruments
Richard Tognetti performs on the 1743 'Carrodus' violin by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù, which is on loan from an anonymous Australian private benefactor.
Compositional Technique
To make his pictorial intentions clear in The Four Seasons, Vivaldi included a 'sonetto dimostrativo' with each season and added descriptive verbal cues in the individual parts.
