''The Four Seasons'' ( it, Le quattro stagioni) is a group of four

violin concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up thro ...

s by Italian composer

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

, each of which gives

musical expression Musical expression is the art of playing or singing with a personal response to the music. At a practical level, this means making appropriate use of dynamics (music), dynamics, Musical phrasing, phrasing, timbre and Articulation (music), articulat ...

to a season of the year. These were composed around 1718−1720, when Vivaldi was the court chapel master in

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

. They were published in 1725 in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, together with eight additional concerti, as (''The Contest Between Harmony and Invention''). ''The Four Seasons'' is the best known of Vivaldi's works. Though three of the concerti are wholly original, the first, "Spring", borrows patterns from a sinfonia in the first act of Vivaldi's contemporaneous opera ''

Il Giustino '' Il Giustino'' is an opera in three acts by composer Giovanni Legrenzi. The work uses an Italian language libretto by Nicolò Beregan based on the life of Emperor Justin I. The opera premiered on 7 February 1683 at the Teatro San Salvador in ...

''. The inspiration for the concertos is not the countryside around

, as initially supposed, where Vivaldi was living at the time, since according to Karl Heller they could have been written as early as 1716–1717, while Vivaldi was engaged with the court of Mantua only in 1718. They were a revolution in musical conception: in them Vivaldi represented flowing creeks, singing birds (of different species, each specifically characterized), a shepherd and his barking dog, buzzing flies, storms, drunken dancers, hunting parties from both the hunters' and the prey's point of view, frozen landscapes, and warm winter fires. Unusually for the period, Vivaldi published the concerti with accompanying sonnets (possibly written by the composer himself) that elucidated what it was in the spirit of each season that his music was intended to evoke. The concerti therefore stand as one of the earliest and most detailed examples of what would come to be called program music—in other words, music with a narrative element. Vivaldi took great pains to relate his music to the texts of the poems, translating the poetic lines themselves directly into the music on the page. For example, in the middle section of "Spring", when the goatherd sleeps, his barking dog can be heard in the viola section. The music is elsewhere similarly evocative of other natural sounds. Vivaldi divided each concerto into three movements (fast–slow–fast), and, likewise, each linked sonnet into three sections.

Structure

Cimento dell' Armonia e dell' Inventione-v2-title page

Vivaldi's arrangement is as follows: # Concerto No. 1 in

E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...

, Op. 8, RV 269, "Spring" (''La primavera'') #Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, "Summer" (''L'estate'') # Concerto No. 3 in

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...

, Op. 8, RV 293, "Autumn" (''L'autunno'') # Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, "Winter" (''L'inverno'') A performance of all four concerti may take about 40–43 minutes. Approximate timings of the individual concerti: # Spring: 10 minutes # Summer: 11 minutes # Autumn: 11 minutes # Winter: 9 minutes

Sonnets and allusions

There is some debate as to whether the four concertos were written to accompany four

sonnet A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's invention, ...

s or vice versa. Though it is not known who wrote the accompanying sonnets, the theory that Vivaldi wrote them is supported by the fact that each sonnet is broken into three sections, each neatly corresponding to a movement in the concerto. Regardless of the sonnets' authorship, ''The Four Seasons'' can be classified as program music, instrumental music intended to evoke something extra-musical, and an art form which Vivaldi was determined to prove sophisticated enough to be taken seriously. In addition to these sonnets, Vivaldi provided instructions such as "The barking dog" (in the second movement of "Spring"), "Languor caused by the heat" (in the first movement of "Summer"), and "the drunkards have fallen asleep" (in the second movement of "Autumn"). A new translation of the sonnets into English by

Armand D'Angour Armand D'Angour (born 23 November 1958) is a British classical scholar and classical musician, Professor of Classics at Oxford University and Fellow and Tutor in Classics at Jesus College, Oxford. His research embraces a wide range of areas acros ...

was published in 2019.

Sonnet text

Recording history

The date and personnel on the first recording of ''The Four Seasons'' are disputed. There is a compact disc of a recording made by the violinist

Alfredo Campoli Alfredo Campoli (20 October 1906 – 27 March 1991) was an Italian-born British violinist, often known simply as Campoli. He was noted for the beauty of the tone he produced from the violin. Campoli spent his childhood and much of his career in E ...

taken from

acetates An acetate is a salt formed by the combination of acetic acid with a base (e.g. alkaline, earthy, metallic, nonmetallic or radical base). "Acetate" also describes the conjugate base or ion (specifically, the negatively charged ion called an a ...

of a French radio broadcast; these are thought to date from early in 1939. The first proper

electrical recording A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

was made in 1942 by Bernardino Molinari; though his is a somewhat different interpretation from modern performances, it is clearly recognisable as ''The Four Seasons''. Molinari's recording was made for Cetra, and was issued in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and subsequently in the United States on six double-sided 78s, in the 1940s. It was then reissued on long-playing album in 1950, and, later, on compact disc. The first American recording was made in the final week of 1947 by the violinist

Louis Kaufman Louis Kaufman (May 10, 1905 – February 9, 1994) was an American violinist. He played on the soundtrack of as many as 500 movies and made over 100 musical recordings. He is also credited with reviving the music of Antonio Vivaldi with his re ...

. The recording was made at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

in advance of a scheduled recording ban effective 1 January 1948. The performers were The Concert Hall Chamber Orchestra under Henry Swoboda,

Edith Weiss-Mann German harpsichordist, musicologist, and teacher Edith Weiss-Mann (11 May 1885 – 18 May 1951) was born in Hamburg to businessman Emil Weiss and his wife Hermine Rosenfeld Weiss. She studied at Hamburg's Hochschule für Musik from 1900 to 1904. In ...

(

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

) and Edouard Nies-Berger (

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

). This recording helped the re-popularisation of Vivaldi's music in the mainstream repertoire of Europe and America following on the work done by Molinari and others in Italy. It won the French

Grand Prix du Disque Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...

in 1950, was elected to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002, and was selected the following year for the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...

in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

. Kaufman, intrigued to learn that the four concertos were in fact part of a set of twelve, set about finding a full score and eventually recorded the other eight concertos in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

in 1950, making his the first recording of

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

's complete Op. 8. The ensemble

I Musici I Musici (pronounced ), also known as I Musici di Roma, is an Italian chamber orchestra from Rome formed in 1951. They are well known for their interpretations of Baroque and other works, particularly Antonio Vivaldi and Tomaso Albinoni. Among ...

recorded ''The Four Seasons'' several times, the debut recording in 1955 with

Felix Ayo Felix Ayo Losada (born July 1, 1933, Sestao, Spain) is a Spanish born, naturalised Italian, violinist. He is renowned as a founder of the Italian ensemble I Musici; as an internationally renowned violinist, who is often a soloist, and is a perf ...

; a 1959 recording featuring Ayo again; and subsequent recordings featuring Roberto Michelucci (1969),

Pina Carmirelli Pina Carmirelli (23 January 1914 in Varzi – 27 February 1993 in Capena) was an Italian violinist. She started studying music and playing in public when she was very young. She was a pupil of Michelangelo Abbado, and graduated from the Mila ...

(1982),

Federico Agostini Federico Agostini (born 1959) is an Italian violinist renowned as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher. Early life Agostini was born in Trieste, Italy. After early training with his grandfather, he studied violin at his hometown's conservatory ...

(1990), and

Mariana Sîrbu Mariana Sîrbu (born in Iaşi, Romania) is a Romanian violinist. Biography Sîrbu started playing the violin under the supervision of her parents. She then studied with Ştefan Gheorghiu (violinist), Ştefan Gheorghiu at the "Ciprian Porumbesc ...

(1995). There is also a video recording of ''The Four Seasons'' performed by I Musici in Antonio Vivaldi's hometown of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, filmed by Anton van Munster in 1988. The 1969 Argo recording by the

Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields The Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) is an English chamber orchestra, based in London. John Churchill, then Master of Music at the London church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and Neville Marriner founded the orchestra as "The Academy o ...

conducted by Neville Marriner and featuring the soloist

Alan Loveday Alan Raymond Loveday (29 February 1928 – 12 April 2016) was a New Zealand violinist. A child prodigy, he became leader of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and a soloist and leader with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. He was a professo ...

sold over half a million copies; it became the ensemble's first gold record.

I Solisti di Zagreb The Zagreb Soloists ( hr, Zagrebački solisti) is a chamber orchestra founded in Zagreb, Croatia, in 1953 through the auspices of Zagreb Radiotelevision, under the artistic leadership of the Italian cellist and conductor, Antonio Janigro. After ...

, under the baton of

Antonio Janigro Antonio Janigro (21 January 19181 May 1989) was an Italian cellist and conductor. Biography Born in Milan, he began studying piano when he was six and cello when he was eight. Initially taught by Giovanni Berti, Janigro enrolled in the Verdi ...

with Jan Tomasow as violin soloist and Anton Heiller on harpsichord, followed in 1957 on the Vanguard label, further reissued under the Philips and other labels.

Wilfrid Mellers Wilfrid Howard Mellers (26 April 1914 – 17 May 2008) was an English music critic, musicologist and composer. Early life Born in Leamington, Warwickshire, Mellers was educated at the local Leamington College and later won a scholarship to Dow ...

, an English music critic, musicologist and composer wrote of this performance, "the soloists phrase their lyricism beautifully." John Thornton wrote about this recording, "Here is matchless ensemble playing, topped by Tomasow's secure playing. Janigro reveals his talent for conducting, which competes with his considerable talent for cello playing." Ivan Supek wrote of this recording: Paul Shoemaker wrote about this recording: Nigel Kennedy's 1989 recording of ''The Four Seasons'' with the English Chamber Orchestra sold over copies, becoming one of the best-selling classical works ever. Gil Shaham and the

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (founded 1972) is a classical music chamber orchestra based in New York City. They have won several Grammy Awards. The orchestra is known for its collaborative leadership style in which the musicians, not a conducto ...

recorded ''The Four Seasons'' as well as a music video for the first movement of "Winter" that was featured regularly on The Weather Channel in the mid-1990s. Surround sound versions of the piece have been issued on Super Audio CD by Richard Tognetti, Pinchas Zukerman,

Jonathan Carney Jonathan Carney is an American violinist, viola, violist, and conducting, conductor. Carney studied at the Juilliard School with Christine Dethier and Ivan Galamian. He is the concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Career Carney m ...

and Rachel Podger. ''The World's Encyclopedia of Recorded Music'' in 1952 cites only two recordings of ''The Four Seasons'' – by Molinari and Kaufman. , approximately 1,000 recorded versions have been made since Campoli's in 1939. Classical musicians have sought to distinguish their recordings of ''The Four Seasons'', with

historically informed performance Historically informed performance (also referred to as period performance, authentic performance, or HIP) is an approach to the performance of Western classical music, classical music, which aims to be faithful to the approach, manner and style of ...

s, and

embellishments In music, ornaments or embellishments are musical flourishes—typically, added notes—that are not essential to carry the overall line of the melody (or harmony), but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line (or harmony), provide added ...

, to the point of varying the instruments and tempi, or playing notes differently from the listener's expectation (whether specified by the composer or not). It is said that Vivaldi's work presents such opportunities for

improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

Reception

The Four Seasons was voted #67 in the Classic FM Hall of Fame. Three of the four concerti were included in the Classic 100 Concerto listing.

Derivative works

Derivative works of these concerti include arrangements, transcriptions, covers, remixes, samples, and parodies in music — themes in theater and opera, soundtracks in films (or video games), and choreography in ballet (along with contemporary dance, figure skating, rhythmic gymnastics, synchronized swimming, etc.) — either in their entirety, single movements, or medleys. Antonio Vivaldi appears to have started this trend of adapting music from ''The Four Seasons'', and since then it has expanded into many aspects of the

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

(as have other instrumental & vocal works by the composer). This ''contest between harmony and invention'' (as it were) now involves various genres around the world: ;1726 (or 1734) * Vivaldi re-scored the ''Allegro'' movement from the "Spring" concerto, both as the opening sinfonia (third movement), and chorus (adding lyrics) for his opera ''

Dorilla in Tempe ''Dorilla in Tempe'' is a ''melodramma eroico pastorale'' or opera in three acts by composer Antonio Vivaldi with an Italian libretto by Antonio Maria Lucchini. The opera premiered at the Teatro San Angelo in Venice on 9 November 1726. Vivaldi lat ...

''. *

J. S. Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

used the theme of the first movement of the "Spring" concerto for the third movement (''aria'') of his cantata ''Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende?'' (BWV 27). ;1727 (or 1730, 1731) * Vivaldi based his setting of "Gelido in ogni vena", an aria from Metastasio's ''Siroe, re di Persia'' libretto, on the first movement of the "Winter" concerto. Vivaldi's ''Siroe'', containing an aria on this text, premiered in 1727 (music lost). An aria on the "Gelido in ogni vena" text also appeared in his 1730 ''

Argippo ''Argippo'' is an opera libretto by Domenico Lalli, which in Giovanni Porta's setting premiered in Venice in 1717. Claudio Nicola Stampa's reworked version of the libretto was set as ''L'Argippo'' by . This opera was performed in Milan in 1722. ...

'' (music lost). In 1731, he inserted the extant version of this aria in his ''

Farnace ''Farnace'' is an opera by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi, set to a libretto by Antonio Maria Lucchini initially set by Leonardo Vinci during 1724. Vivaldi's setting received its first performance in 1727 at the Teatro Sant'Angelo in Venice. ...

'' when this opera was restaged in

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...

. ;1739 * Nicolas Chédeville (France) arranged the concerti (as "Le printemps, ou Les saisons amusantes") for hurdy-gurdy or musette, violin, flute, and continuo. ;1765 * The French composer

Michel Corrette Michel Corrette (10 April 1707 – 21 January 1795) was a French composer, organist and author of musical method books. Life Corrette was born in Rouen, Normandy. His father, Gaspard Corrette, was an organist and composer. Little is known of ...

composed and published a choral motet, '' Laudate Dominum de Coelis'', subtitled ''Motet à Grand Chœur arrangé dans le Concerto de Printemps de Vivaldi''. The work, for choir and orchestra, consists of the words of

Psalm 148 Psalm 148 is the 148th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Praise ye the Lord from the heavens". In Latin, it is known as "Laudate Dominum de caelis". The psalm is one of the Laudate psalms. Old Testamen ...

set to the music from the ''Spring'' concerto with vocal soloists singing the solo concerto parts. 1775 *

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

published his flute version of the "Spring" concerto. ;1969 *

The Swingle Singers 270px, The Swingles at the Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten, Germany">Kirchzarten.html" ;"title="Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten">Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten, Germany on 29 June 2019 The Swingles are a v ...

(France) recorded an album ('' The Joy of Singing'') based on the work (and that of other composers). ;1970 * Astor Piazzolla (Argentina) published '' Estaciones Porteñas'', "The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires"; these have been included in "eight seasons" performances, along with Vivaldi's work, by various artists. ;1972 * Moe Koffman (Canada) recorded a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

album of the concerti. ;1976 * The New Koto Ensemble (Japan) recorded the concerti on koto instruments. ;1978 * Michael Franks (United States) composed a vocal

serenade In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Italian w ...

based on the theme of the Adagio from the "Summer" concerto. This was subsequently covered by WoongSan (Korea) in 2010. ;1981 * ''The Four Seasons'' is used in the eponymous 1981 film, along with other Vivaldi concertos for flute. ;1982 *

Patrick Gleeson Patrick Gleeson (born November 9, 1934) is an American musician, synthesizer pioneer, composer, and producer. Career Gleeson moved to San Francisco in the 1960s to teach in the English Department at San Francisco State. Gleeson began experimentin ...

(United States) recorded a "computer realization" of the concerti. ;1984 *

Thomas Wilbrandt Thomas Wilbrandt (born 1952 in Bielefeld) is a German composer and conductor. He studied with Franco Ferrara, Hans Swarowsky and Bruno Maderna in Rome, Vienna and Salzburg and was Assistant to Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic f ...

(West Germany) composed and recorded "The Electric V" (later adapted for film), which interprets Vivaldi's work with

ambient Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to: Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds * Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere * ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby * ...

electronics, vocals, and samples of the original concerti. *

Roland Petit Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets. Life and work The son of shoe designer Rose ...

(France) choreographed a ballet (entitled "Les Quatre Saisons") to an

performance of Vivaldi's work. ;1987 *

Ben Shedd Ben Shedd is an American director, producer, and writer of film and video. He shared the 1978 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film. Education He earned a BA from San Francisco State University in 1968 and an MA from the University of ...

(United States) produced a scenic tour of nature with the concerti as background music (narrated by

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

). ;1990 * A MIDI arrangement of the "Spring" concerto by

Passport Designs Passport Designs Inc. was a software company that created early music production software, such as the pre-MIDI SoundChaser in 1982. Other programs included Master Tracks Pro and Encore. History Founding and early years The company was founded i ...

was included with Windows 3.0. ;1993 * Jean-Pierre Rampal (France) recorded arrangements of the concerti for

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

; these were also recorded by

Jadwiga Kotnowska Jadwiga Kotnowska is a Polish flautist. A winner of many important international competitions, she was educated in Poland, Switzerland and France. She studied flute with Aurèle Nicolet, Alain Marion and Jean-Pierre Rampal. Today, in turn, she i ...

. ;1995 * Arnie Roth (United States) recorded "The Four Seasons Suite", including sonnets (recited by Patrick Stewart). This may not qualify as a derivative work, depending on whether Vivaldi's translated sonnets were meant to be narrated with the music (versus being read in Italian, or silently by the audience). ;1997 * The Baronics (Canada) recorded

surf guitar Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a Music genre, genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is in ...

versions of one movement from each of the concerti. * French musician

Jacques Loussier Jacques Loussier (26 October 1934 – 5 March 2019) was a French pianist and composer. He arranged jazz interpretations of many of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, such as the ''Goldberg Variations''. The Jacques Loussier Trio, founded in 19 ...

composed and recorded, with his trio, jazz-swing interpretations of the concerti. ;1998 *

The Great Kat Katherine Thomas (born June 6, 1966), best known by her stage name The Great Kat, is an American musician best known for her thrash metal interpretations of well-known pieces of classical music. Most feature her using the electric guitar, bu ...

(England/United States) recorded a shred guitar (and violin) version of the ''Presto'' movement from the "Summer" concerto. * Vanessa-Mae (Singapore/Britain) recorded a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

version of the same movement for electric violin. ;1999 * The Chinese Baroque Players recorded arrangements of the concerti for traditional Chinese instruments. * Petrova & Tikhonov (Russia) performed their long program to a medley of Vivaldi's seasons to win the European Figure Skating Championships. ;2000 * Venice Harp Quartet (Italy) recorded arrangements of the concerti for

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

ensemble. * Gustavo Montesano (Argentina) recorded a tango guitar version of the "Spring" ''Allegro'' with the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

. * Jochen Brusch (Germany) & Sven-Ingvart Mikkelsen (Denmark) recorded arrangements of the concerti for violin and

. ;2001 * * Ferhan & Ferzan Önder (Turkish twin sisters) recorded a transcription of the concerti for two pianos by Antun Tomislav Šaban. *

BanYa Banya may refer to: Places Australia * Banya, Queensland, a locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia Bulgaria *Banya, Blagoevgrad Province, a thermal spa and mountain resort in southwest Bulgaria *Banya, Burgas Prov ...

(South Korea) recorded a dance version of the "Winter" concerto for the '' Pump It Up'' video game. * Susan Osborn (United States) recorded a

new-age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...

vocal serenade based on the "Winter" ''Largo''. * The Charades (Finland) recorded the ''Presto'' from the "Summer" concerto as "Summer Twist", for surf guitar ensemble. * ;2003 *

Red Priest Red Priest is a British Baroque instrumental group that was formed in 1997 by Piers Adams. Currently it is composed of four performers: Adams on recorder, Adam Summerhayes on violin, Angela East on cello and David Wright on harpsichord. The gr ...

(UK) recorded arrangements of the concerti for

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

. *

Hayley Westenra Hayley Dee Westenra (born 10 April 1987) is a New Zealand classical crossover singer and songwriter. Her first internationally released album, ''Pure'', reached number one on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million c ...

(New Zealand) adapted the "Winter" concerto into a song titled "River of Dreams" which is sung in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. It was recorded for her ''Pure'' album on July 10. ;2004 * Tafelmusik (Canada) arranged a cross-cultural arts special based on the concerti, involving a Chinese pipa, Indian sarangi and Inuit throat-singing. ;2005 *

Mỹ Linh Đỗ Mỹ Linh (born 19 August 1975), who uses the stage name Mỹ Linh, is a Vietnamese singer. Referred to as the " Queen of Vietnamese R&B" and the "Queen of Spring", she is among the best-selling V-pop singers of all time. My Linh is noted ...

(Vietnamese singer) adapted the "Winter" concerto into a song titled "Mùa Đông" (which means "winter" also) on her album ''Chat với Mozart'' (Chat with Mozart). *

Dark Moor Dark Moor is a Spanish symphonic power metal band from Madrid. Formed in 1993, they produced three full-length albums before undergoing a line-up change in which three members left the band to form their own project, Dreamaker. Afterwards, the ...

(Spain) recorded an electric-guitar version of the ''Allegro non molto'' movement from the "Winter" concerto; this was later integrated into the Finnish video game

Frets on Fire ''Frets on Fire'' (''FoF'') is a free, open-source music video game created by Finnish independent video game developer Unreal Voodoo. Players use the keyboard to play along with markers which appear on screen, with the aim to score points, achi ...

. ;2006 *

Juliette Pochin Juliette Louise B. Pochin (born 1971) is a Welsh classically trained mezzo-soprano singer, composer/arranger, and record producer. She is known not only for her performances in operas and as a classical recitalist as well as for her recordings o ...

(Wales) performed on her debut album an operatic suite of sonnets set to the concerti. * Accentus chamber choir (France) recorded a

choral A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

version of the "Winter" concerto. * Stéphane Lambiel (Switzerland) performed his long program to a medley of the concerti to win the

World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships (''"Worlds"'') is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the categories of single skating, men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ...

. ;2007 *

Celtic Woman Celtic Woman is an all-female Irish musical ensemble conceived and created by David Kavanagh, Sharon Browne and David Downes, a former musical director of the Irish stage show ''Riverdance.'' In 2004, Downes recruited five Irish female music ...

(Ireland) recorded the "Winter" ''Largo'' with vocals (Italian lyrics). The youngest former member, Chloë Agnew, originally recorded it for her ''Walking in the Air'' album which was released in 2002. * PercaDu (Israel) performed an arrangement of the ''Allegro non molto'' movement from the "Winter" concerto, for

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

s with chamber orchestra. *

Mauro Bigonzetti Mauro Bigonzetti (born 1960) is an Italian ballet dancer and choreographer. He trained at the ballet school of Teatro dell'Opera di Roma and entered their company in 1979. In 1983 Bigonzetti joined the Reggio Emilia company Aterballetto, renown ...

(Italy) choreographed a ballet of the concerti for a French- Canadian dance company. * Tim Slade (Australia) directed '' 4'', a documentary which follows four classical violinists in their homelands (of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

; Thursday Island, New York; and

Lapland Lapland may refer to: Places *Lapland or Sápmi, an ethno-cultural region stretching over northern Fennoscandia (parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia) **Lapland (Finland) (''Lappi''/''Lappland''), a Finnish region *** Lapland (former pr ...

), as they relate to Vivaldi's ''Four Seasons''. * Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Music Orchestra performed the concerti with arrangement for Korean traditional music (gugak) orchestra by Seong-gi Kim. It was recorded live and released with CD from Synnara Music same year. ;2008 * Sveceny & Dvorak (Czech Republic) produced both an album and stage production of world music based on the concerti. * Yves Custeau (Canada) recorded a

rock & roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

"one-man band" version of the "Spring" ''Allegro''. *

Daisy Jopling Daisy Jopling is a British classical/rock violinist and composer currently residing in New York. She tours the world with her own band, and has spearheaded a music mentorship foundation. She plays an Antonio Gragnani violin, made in Livorno, Ita ...

(England/United States) recorded a violin & hip-hop version of the ''Allegro non molto'' movement from the "Winter" concerto, and also performs it

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

-style. * Innesa Tymochko (Ukraine) performed her crossover version of the ''Presto'' from the "Summer" concerto, for violin. * Wez Bolton (Isle of Man) recorded a cover version of the ''Allegro non molto'' movement from the "Winter" concerto, based on the Japanese video game "Beatmania" remix. *

Patrick Chan Patrick Lewis Wai–Kuan Chan (born December 31, 1990) is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. He is a 2018 Olympic gold medallist in the team event, 2014 Olympic silver medallist in the men's and team events, a three–time World ch ...

(Canada) performed his long program to a medley of the concerti to win the

Canadian Figure Skating Championships The Canadian Figure Skating Championships (french: Championnats du Canada de patinage artistique) is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Canada. It is organized by Skate Canada, the nation's figure skating ...

. ;2009 * Absynth Against Anguish (Romania) produced an electronic (

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

) version of the concerti. * Riccardo Arrighini (Italy) recorded the concerti for solo piano, in a jazz style. *

Christophe Monniot Christophe may refer to: People * Christophe (given name), list of people with this name * Christophe (singer) (1945–2020), French singer * Cristophe (hairstylist) (born 1958), Belgian hairstylist * Georges Colomb (1856–1945), French comic str ...

recorded ambient-jazz interpretations of the concerti. * Christian Blind (France) recorded a surf guitar/ acid rock version of the ''Allegro'' movement from the "Spring" concerto. * ;2010 * Art Color Ballet (Poland) performed their "4 elements" show to the ''Presto'' movement from the "Summer" concerto, arranged by Hadrian Filip Tabęcki (Kameleon). *

David Garrett David Christian Bongartz (born 4 September 1980), known by his stage name David Garrett, is a German classical and crossover violinist and recording artist. Early life When Garrett was four years old his father purchased a violin for his ol ...

(Germany) recorded a crossover version of Vivaldi's winter (allegro non molto), combining classical violin with modern rock music. ;2011 * Black Smith (Russia) performed the ''Presto'' movement from the "Summer" concerto in the style of

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

music (likewise, this movement has been

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

numerous times by aspiring electric guitar

virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'' or , "virtuous", Late Latin ''virtuosus'', Latin ''virtus'', "virtue", "excellence" or "skill") is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as ...

s, and other

musicians). * Angels (Greece) performed their crossover version of the same movement, scored for electric strings. * Szentpeteri Csilla (Hungary) performed her crossover version of the same movement, scored for piano. * Leonel Valbom (Portugal) remixed the ''Presto'' movement from the "Summer" concerto with

VST VST may refer to: * Vancouver School of Theology, a theological graduate school in British Columbia, Canada * VST, Stockholm Västerås Airport in Sweden (IATA airport code) * Vehicle safety technology * Virtual Studio Technology, Steinberg's stand ...

Synths. * Tim Kliphuis (Netherlands) performed the Allegro from the "Spring" movement as a crossover of world-music styles. ;2012 * Russian violinist

Olga Kholodnaya Olga Kholodnaya (Russian: Ольга Холодная) is a Russian violinist, composer, arranger and producer, born in Cheboksary, in the Soviet Union and based in Berlin, Germany. Biography Born in Cheboksary, the capital of Chuvashia ex-S ...

and Argentinian drummer

Marino Colina Marino Colina (born 11 November 1981) is an Argentine drummer, composer, conductor and producer born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Biography Marino Colina, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, of Venezuelan-Italian parentage. His mother Maria Fran ...

arranged and recorded live in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

a version for

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

and

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player ( drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsti ...

. * German-born British composer

Max Richter Max Richter (; ; born 22 March 1966) is a German-born British composer and pianist. He works within postminimalist and contemporary classical styles. Richter is classically trained, having graduated in composition from the University of Edinbur ...

created a postmodern and minimalist recomposition, '' Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons''. Working with solo violinist

Daniel Hope Daniel Hope (born 17 August 1973, Durban, South Africa) is a European classical violinist. Early life and education Hope was born in Durban, South Africa, and is of Irish and Jewish German descent, his maternal grandparents, formerly from Be ...

, Richter discarded around 75 per cent of the original source material; the album is 44 minutes long. * Aura (Japan) recorded an

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

arrangement of the concerti, and had also performed Vivaldi's Spring chorus (from ''

'') on a prior album. * Sinfonity (Spain) performed the concerti for "electric-guitar orchestra". * Bachod Chirmof (USA) produced a

MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...

recording &

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

of Vivaldi's winter (movements I & III). * Tornado Classic (Russia) performed the ''Presto'' movement from the "Summer" concerto, with electric guitar and slap bass. * The symphonic rock band

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to ...

used a portion of the first movement of the "Winter" concerto in their song "Dreams of Fireflies (On A Christmas Night)" on their ''Dreams of Fireflies'' EP. ;2013 *

Richard Galliano Richard Galliano (born 12 December 1950, Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes) is a French accordionist of Italian heritage. Allmusic biography/ref> Biography He was drawn to music at an early age, starting with the accordion at 4, influenced by his father ...

(France) recorded the concerti for accordion, as well as a few of his opera arias on the instrument. *

Vito Paternoster Vito Paternoster is an Italian cellist, recording for Musicaimmagine. He has served as principal cellist for I Musici (Rome). Paternoster is the first cellist to record the complete Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Cello (orig. violin), after ...

(Italy) recorded the concerti in the form of

sonata Sonata (; Italian: , pl. ''sonate''; from Latin and Italian: ''sonare'' rchaic Italian; replaced in the modern language by ''suonare'' "to sound"), in music, literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cant ...

s for cello. * Periodic (Germany) produced a megamix of the concerti, which incorporates

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

with samples of a classical recording. * Steven Buchanan (USA) produced a

tetralogy A tetralogy (from Greek τετρα- ''tetra-'', "four" and -λογία ''-logia'', "discourse") is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works. The name comes from the Attic theater, in which a tetralogy was a group of three tragedies ...

of "midseasons" (slow movements and corresponding sonnets) from Vivaldi's program music. ;2014 * The Piano Guys (USA) recorded an arrangement for piano and cello, a crossover between the "Winter" concerto and "

Let it Go "Let It Go" is a song from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney's 2013 computer-animated feature film ''Frozen (2013 film), Frozen'', whose music and lyrics were composed by husband-and-wife songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert L ...

" from the computer-animated film ''

Frozen Frozen may refer to: * the result of freezing * a paralysis response in extreme cases of fear Films * ''Frozen'' (1997 film), a film by Wang Xiaoshuai * ''Frozen'' (2005 film), a film by Juliet McKoen * ''Frozen'' (2007 film), a film by Sh ...

''. * Along with the original composition of "Winter" included in '' Fantasia: Music Evolved'', there are also two mixes: the "Alt Rock" mix, and the "Steve Porter" mix. ;2015 * Nihad Hrustanbegovic (The Netherlands) recorded the concerti for solo accordion on Zefir Records. * Zozimo Rech and Adrianne Simioni (Brazil) recorded the concerti on electric and acoustic guitar on the Astronomusic label. *

Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, ''Lupe Fiasco's ...

's songs "Summer", "Fall", "Winter", & "Spring" on his album ''

Tetsuo & Youth ''Tetsuo & Youth'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Lupe Fiasco. The album was released on January 20, 2015, by 1st & 15th Entertainment and Atlantic Records. ''Tetsuo & Youth'' was supported by the lead single, "Deliver". The album ...

'' reference the concerti. ; * Justin Bird (New Zealand) transcribed the concerti for solo piano. * In April, violist

David Aaron Carpenter David Aaron Carpenter is an American violist and was the first Prize Winner of the 2006 Walter W. Naumburg Viola Competition. Along with his two siblings, the trio perform as The Carpenters, and the family, including their mother, run a family bu ...

recorded the concerti, arranged for

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

and released with an arrangement of

Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed ''nuevo tango'', incorporating elements from ...

's '' Estaciones Porteñas'' and ''The Four Seasons of Manhattan'' by Alexey Shor. ;2019 * "For Seasons" is a recomposition of Vivaldi's concertos using algorithms to portray climate change from 1725 to 2019. Arranged by Simone Candotto and performed in November 2019 by the

NDR Elbphilharomie Orchestra NDR may refer to: Computing * Non delivery report, a return email message to a sender indicating failed message delivery * Network Data Representation, an implementation of the OSI model presentation layer Science and technology * Negative differ ...

, under the direction of Alan Gilbert. *

Portrait of a Lady on Fire ''Portrait of a Lady on Fire'' (french: Portrait de la jeune fille en feu, lit=Portrait of the Young Lady on Fire) is a 2019 French historical romantic drama film written and directed by Céline Sciamma, starring Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haen ...

used

La Serenissima The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

's Four Seasons as part of their film soundtrack. ;2021 * Ballet Arizona performed original choreography by artistic director Ib Andersen in an outdoor performance set against the lush Southwest landscape of the Desert Botanical Gardens. * "The ncertainFour Seasons" is a reworking of Vivaldi's original, by both human composers and AI algorithms based on climate predictions for the year 2050. Each performance is modified to fit the climatic predictions for the location of performance. The project includes a multi-orchestra, streamed event planned for November 1, 2021, in connection with the

United Nations Climate Change conference The United Nations Climate Change Conferences are yearly conferences held in the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). They serve as the formal meeting of the UNFCCC parties (Conference of the Parties, ...

held in Glasgow, Scotland. It was inspired by the 2019 performance, "For Seasons." * ATEEZ incorporated the "Summer" concerto into their cover of iKON's "Rhythm Ta" on Kingdom: Legendary War. ;2022 * The Brazilian telenovela

Quanto Mais Vida, Melhor! ''Quanto Mais Vida, Melhor!'' (English title: ''A Life to Die For'') is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by TV Globo. It aired from 22 November 2021 to 27 May 2022. The telenovela is written by Mauro Wilson, with the collaboration of ...

covered the "Summer" concerto for a special sequence where the four main characters "switch bodies". For the scene, the compositions also had different rhythms involving rock, classical music, pop, and samba, respectively. * Vivaldi and Italian Baroque specialists,

(UK), "Winter" from the Manchester version of The Four Seasons was sampled in a

Beats by Dre Beats Electronics LLC (also known as Beats by Dr. Dre, or simply Beats by Dre) is an American consumer audio products manufacturer headquartered in Culver City, California. The company was founded by music producer Dr. Dre and record company exe ...

advertisement.

References

External links

* *
Scores

Mutopia Project The Mutopia Project is a volunteer-run effort to create a library of free content sheet music, in a way similar to Project Gutenberg's library of public domain books. It started in 2000.Portal page at thInternet ArchiveRetrieved January 24, 20 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Four Seasons, The 1725 compositions Compositions in E major Compositions in F major Compositions in F minor Compositions in G minor Concertos by Antonio Vivaldi United States National Recording Registry recordings