Open Rehearsal Aug. 9

Tuesday, August 9 · 2:30-3:30 PM

THE BAKER-BAUM CONCERT HALL

This event will be live streamed.

VIVALDI                                   
(1678-1741)

The Four Seasons

Concerto in E Major “Spring” RV 269
Allegro
Largo
Allegro

Tessa Lark, violin

Concerto in G Minor “Summer” RV 315
Allegro non molto; Allegro
Adagio; Presto; Adagio
Presto

Liza Ferschtman, violin

Concerto in F Major “Fall” RV 293
Allegro
Adagio molto
Allegro

Alexi Kenney, violin

Concerto in F Minor “Winter” RV 297
Allegro non molto
Largo
Allegro

Stefan Jackiw, violin

SummerFest Chamber Orchestra

Violin I*
Liza Ferschtman
Alexi Kenney
Sophia Stoyanovich
Heejeon Ahn

Violin II*
Tessa Lark
Stefan Jackiw
Delphine Skene

Viola
Chi-Yuan Chen
Sung Jin Lee

Cello
Sterling Elliott
Nathan Cottrell
Andrew Byun

Bass
Doug Balliett

Harpsichord
Angie Zhang

*Solo violinists will rotate in Violin I and II sections

Program note by Eric Bromberger

The Four Seasons

ANTONIO VIVALDI
Born March 4, 1678, Venice
Died July 26/27, 1741, Vienna
Composed: 1725
Approximate Duration: 42 minutes

Are Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons the most popular work in the classical literature? The evidence seems to suggest that—it has been recorded over a hundred times. Only Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, and Ravel’s Bolero approach that number. Yet seventy-five years ago, hardly anyone had heard of The Four Seasons. It was a recording of this music that led to the revival of interest in baroque music after World War II, and today new recordings appear all the time. A mark of its popularity is that—in addition to the violin version—the current catalog lists arrangements for flute, recorder, trombone, brass quintet, guitar trio, electronic synthesizer, and koto ensemble.

The Four Seasons are the first four concertos in the set of twelve Vivaldi published in 1725 as his Opus 8, which he nicknamed Il cimiento dell’ armonia e dell’ inventione (“The Battle between Harmony and Invention”). Each of the four is a small tone poem depicting events of its respective season, and in the published score Vivaldi printed the four anonymous sonnets his music was intended to depict (the poems may have been written after the music was composed, however). The Four Seasons are thus one of the earliest examples of program music, but audiences should not expect the kind of detailed musical depiction of a composer like Richard Strauss. Strauss, who once said that his highest aim was to write fork music that could never be mistaken for a spoon, was a master at painting scenes with an orchestra. Vivaldi’s music, written nearly two centuries earlier, can seem a little innocent by comparison: his fast movements tend to depict storms, the slow movements shepherds falling asleep. But this music is so infectious and appealing, the many little touches so charming, that The Four Seasons seem to have an air of eternal freshness about them. Certainly these four concertos continue to win new friends for baroque music every day.

Each of the four is in the standard form of Vivaldi’s concertos—the first movement opens with a ritornello, or refrain, that will recur throughout the movement; between its appearances, the soloist breaks free with florid, virtuoso music of his own. The slow movement is usually a melodic interlude, while the finale—dynamic and extroverted—is sometimes cast in dance forms.

Spring marches in joyfully with a buoyant ritornello, and soon the solo violin brings trilling birdsongs and the murmur of brooks and breezes. Thunder and lightning break out, but the birds return to sing after the storm. In the slow movement a shepherd sleeps peacefully while his dog keeps watch; the dog’s quiet “Woof! Woof!” is heard throughout in the violas. Nymphs and shepherds dance through the final movement, which shows some relation to the gigue. But the movement is no wild bacchanal, and Spring concludes with this most grave and dignified dance.

At the beginning of Summer the world limps weakly under a blast of sunlight—the ritornello is halting and exhausted. Soon the solo violin plays songs of different birds—cuckoo, dove, and goldfinch—and later the melancholy music of a shepherd boy, weeping at the prospect of a storm. The Adagio depicts more of his fears: buzzing mosquitoes and flies (quiet dotted rhythms) which alternate with blasts of thunder. The concluding Presto brings the storm. A rush of sixteenth-notes echoes the thunder, and lightning rushes downward in quick flashes.

The jaunty opening of Fall depicts a peasants’ dance, and the solo violin picks up the same music. Soon the violin is sliding and staggering across all four strings—the peasants have gotten drunk and are collapsing and falling asleep; the Adagio molto, an exceptionally beautiful slow movement, shows their “sweet slumber.” The final movement opens with the sound of the

orchestra mimicking hunting horns. Vivaldi’s portrait of the hunt is quite graphic—the violin’s rushing triplets depict the fleeing game that finally collapses and dies from exhaustion.

The beginning of Winter is one of the most effective moments in The Four Seasons: quick turns in the orchestra “shiver” with the cold, and later vigorous “stamping” marks the effort to keep warm. In the wonderful Largo, a graceful, melodic violin line sings of the contented who sit inside before a warm fire while outside raindrops (pizzicato strings) fall steadily. In the concluding Allegro, the solo violin shows those trying desperately to walk over ice. The ice shatters and breaks and strong winds blow, but Vivaldi’s music concludes with a sort of fierce joy—this is weather that, however rough, brings ghts to it. Desperate to have his work published, Fauré could do nothing but accept those terms. He never made a penny on this music.

Financial support is provided by the City of San Diego

Judith Bachner and Eric Lasley

Brenda Baker and Steve Baum

Raffaella and John Belanich

Gordon Brodfuehrer

Sue and Chris Fan

Catherine Rivier

Clara Wu Tsai