And that made The Four Seasons so revolutionary. We all understand the seasons and we can all try to hear depictions of them in The Four Seasons. So what is it about The Four Seasons that has made them so universally popular? I suppose the first thing to say about them is they represent one of the first and best examples of programme music: works that have a central theme.
While The Four Seasons was published in 1725, they were actually written some time earlier, around 1716-17. They are four concertos for violin and orchestra, each depicting a season of the year, and together form part of a set published at the same time called Il cimento dell’armonia e dell-‘inventione, or The Trial of Strength Between Harmony and Invention. But while many of his pieces have stood the test of time and are frequently played and recorded today, none is as popular as Le quattro staggioni, The Four Seasons.ĭon’t regard The Four Seasons as a single work. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was probably the most celebrated and one of the most prolific composer of the Italian Baroque era.Īmong his 800-plus known works are more than 500 concerti, a handful of operas, sacred vocal works and, as befits a virtuoso player (he was a violinist), numerous international works.
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