Vivaldi provided sonnets and specific indications directly in the score of The Four Seasons to clarify the meaning of the music and guide performers in depicting events and moods.
Instruments
Francisco Fullana, the violinist on this recording, performs on the 1735 'Mary Portman' ex-Kreisler Guarneri del Gesù violin, using gut strings and a baroque bow.
Performer Biography
Jeannette Sorrell, the conductor, studied conducting with Leonard Bernstein and Roger Norrington, and harpsichord with Gustav Leonhardt, winning First Prize in the Spivey International Harpsichord Competition.
Historical Context
Vivaldi, known as the 'Redhead Priest', was once reported to the Inquisition for leaving Mass to write down a musical theme, after which he was forbidden to say Mass.
Historical Context
Vivaldi most likely premiered The Four Seasons with the teenage orphan girls of the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, where he was maestro de' concerti from 1716-1717.
Composition History
The original manuscript of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons is lost, making it difficult to determine for whom he composed the pieces and when, though he published them in 1725.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Vivaldi published The Four Seasons in 1725 to demonstrate that instrumental music could powerfully tell a story without words, specifically about life in the Italian countryside.
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