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The Eight Seasons!, April 17, 2010
The Four Seasons
Antonio Vivaldi
(1678-1741)
I. Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269, "La primavera" (Spring)
II. Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, "L'estate" (Summer)
III. Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293, "L'autunno" (Autumn)
IV. Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, "L'inverno" (Winter)
In early 18th century Italy, opera was by far the most popular form of musical entertainment. During this time, Vivaldi had gained a reputation as being a progressive operatic composer due to his evolving style and use of female musicians (both of which created some controversy). While being prolific and quite successful in operatic composition, a large majority of his operas lacked the staying power of his Italian contemporaries, and he struggled to find critical success.
By the time the 1720s had begun, Vivaldi was deeply involved in producing and composing a large number of operas in Venice and Rome. Despite all of his travel and work with the opera, he found time to compose several concerti for violin. This is not surprising, as Vivaldi composed 500+ concertos during his lifetime, with over 200 just for violin. Out of these years came Op. 8, Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione (The Contest between Harmony and Invention), a set of twelve concerti was written and eventually published in 1725. The first four concertos from the set were designated as Le quattro stagioni, The Four Seasons; his most highly recognizable work.
The concertos that comprise The Four Seasons are based on, and written to go along with a group of sonnets. The four sonnets, believed to have been written by Vivaldi himself, provide an evocative depiction of each season, complete with images of flowing creeks, storms, barking dogs and silent nights. These images, along with many others are represented in the music, showcasing the work as one of the earliest examples of programmatic music. Each concerto is in a three movement form, fast-slow-fast, and provides highly rhythmic passages that can be a challenge to even the most highly skilled soloist.
Cuatro estaciones porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires)
Astor Piazzolla
(1921-1992)
In Buenos Aires, Argentina in the 1930’s and 40’s, tango was king. Astor Piazzolla was right in the thick of it, writing music during the daytime and playing the bandoneón (a traditional Argentine folk instrument) in clubs and burlesque houses at night. By the time the 1950’s had come, Piazzolla was on the forefront of the Nuevo tango movement in Buenos Aires—an experimental movement that modernized tango and incorporated jazz and other contemporary elements.
The composer’s Cuatro estaciones porteñas was one of many pieces written and performed by Piazzolla’s own quintet, and the original scoring is for just that group: violin, piano, electric guitar, double bass and bandoneón. The pieces that now comprise the group were originally written and treated as different compositions, but were occasionally performed by Piazzolla as a suite from time to time.
It wasn’t until several years after the composer’s death that the work found the form heard tonight. In the late 1990’s, Russian composer and arranger Leonid Desyatnikov arranged the classical chamber version for full orchestra and solo violin. This arrangement is very much in the spirit of the form of Vivaldi’s own Four Seasons, but with many obvious stylistic differences. The four seasons are not divided into three movements each, like that of Vivaldi; instead, each season has one movement with several contrasting sections intertwined.
Spring begins with a lively tango and fugue and winds its way into a dreamy, almost sultry section before returning to the animated pace of the beginning. Desyatnikov adds a brilliant touch in the Summer movement by incorporating elements of Vivaldi’s Winter movement, representative of summer in Argentina and winter in Italy existing simultaneously. Likewise, elements of Vivaldi’s Summer are interwoven into the Piazzolla’s very emotional Winter tango.
A large part of Piazzolla’s experimental style appears in the solo violin, creating an immensely difficult part. The solo violin part is played sometimes using the bow hair, and at other times the wooden part of the bow. In all four movements, the string instruments turn into an extended percussion section, and then revert to a more traditional style.
The universal ideals represented in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons give way to the unique Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, transporting the listener to the Argentine city, surrounded by the sounds of the seasons.
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