Le quatro stagioni (The Four Seasons) is undoubtedly the most famous of Antonio Vivaldi’s works. However, not everyone knows that each of the four violin concertos that make up this cycle is accompanied by a sonnet. It is possible that the composer himself was the author of this perhaps somewhat naive, yet charming poetry. However, it is certain that by using sophisticated musical means, he perfectly reflected the atmosphere of subsequent seasons, creating an unrivaled example of the implementation of the idea of imitazione della natura.
The first concerto opens with a bird symphony that awakens the natural world to life after its winter sleep. Unexpected thunder and downpours bring refreshment and contrast with the delicate rustle of fresh grass and young leaves. The whole world blooms and is flooded with joy. However, summer will soon come – a time of hard work in the field, when scorching heat and drought will cause tension and fatigue. These feelings were enchanted both in the short, broken-up motifs of the opening movement of the second concerto and in its virtuoso finale.
The idyllic atmosphere returns in LʼAutunno with the rays of the autumn sun. After all, it is a time of feasts, dancing, and hunting, when the elegant rhythmic horse riding is suddenly interrupted by the impetuous pursuit of frightened game. Finally, short, expressive trills suggestively imitate the piercing chills that herald the arrival of winter. The energetic strings in the final section depict gusts of wind and the tentative steps on slippery, fragile ice.
„We feel the chill Mediterranean wind through the home,
despite the locked and bolted doors…
Sirroco, Boreas, and all the winds join in for battle.
this is winter, but it brings such joy.”
Marta Dziewanowska-Pachowska
PROGRAM
Antonio Vivaldi – Le quattro stagioni
La Primavera, RV 269
Allegro – Largo – Allegro
LʼEstate, RV 315
Allegro non molto – Adagio e piano – Presto e forte – Presto
LʼAutunno, RV 293
Allegro – Adagio molto – Allegro
LʼInverno, RV 297
Allegro non molto – Largo – Allegro
PERFORMERS
SIRKKA-LIISA KAAKINEN-PILCH VIOLIN, CONCERTMASTER
THE PERIOD INSTRUMENTS ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA CAPELLA REGIA POLONA
Duration: approx. 1 h.
The seats in the auditorium are not numbered.
