EMS "The Four Seasons: Winter" 16/2/2025

[AuntDaisy]

The Four Seasons: Winter
The Early Music Show

In the first of four programmes across 2025 marking the 300th anniversary of the publication of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Hannah French explores the Violin Concerto in F minor, RV297 - better known as Winter.

From the trembling, teeth-chattering cold of the first movement to the fireside warmth of the second and the slippery ice and chill winds of the last, in this concerto Vivaldi vividly depicts the harsh brutality of the Venetian winter. Hannah considers the context and inspirations for the music, and shares other early music influenced by the season of frost and darkness. She talks to violinist Daniel Pioro, whose new recording of The Four Seasons couples Vivaldi's music with new poetry by Michael Morpurgo, about what Vivaldi's Winter means to him. And she sends us a sonic snapshot from a recent trip to the Venetian Lagoon, which completely froze over in the brutal winter of 1709 to devastating effect to local communities.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0027vcp

[smittims]

Thanks, I'd have missed that. The old Four Seasons are a perennial favourite for me, from Campoli and Boyd Neel's pioneering 78s to Carmignola and the Venice Baroque orchestra, not forgetting Munchinger's Stuttgart recording which started off the Vivaldi revival .

I wonder why she's only considering 'Winter'. Perhaps because it is winter . But there ought to be time for the other three too.

[AuntDaisy]

Thanks, I'd have missed that. The old Four Seasons are a perennial favourite for me, from Campoli and Boyd Neel's pioneering 78s to Carmignola and the Venice Baroque orchestra, not forgetting Munchinger's Stuttgart recording which started off the Vivaldi revival .

I wonder why she's only considering 'Winter'. Perhaps because it is winter . But there ought to be time for the other three too.

Perhaps Spring will appear later in the year? Can't wait for it to appear here, although the snowdrops are starting to pop up.

BTW Lucie Skeaping did a "Vivaldi's Four Seasons" EMS in 2017.

Free Thinking - Vivaldi's The Four Seasons
The Early Music Show
Vivaldi condensed a whole year into his Four Seasons concertos, so they're an ideal showcase for Radio 3's Free Thinking "speed of life" weekend in Gateshead. Lucie Skeaping presents a concert given by The Avison Ensemble and violin soloist Bojan Čičić, along with the sonnets from which Vivaldi took his musical inspiration read by actor Rob Ward.

[MickyD]

Maybe she'll do the other three periodically throughout the year.

Funnily enough, I've just acquired a version done by the Freibourg Baroque Orchestra and Andrew Lawrence King's Harp Consort. Having been won over by the latter's discs, I couldn't resist this one just out of curiosity, and it won lots of plaudits on it's release. Hopefully will give it a listen later on.

[AuntDaisy]

Maybe she'll do the other three periodically throughout the year.

Funnily enough, I've just acquired a version done by the Freibourg Baroque Orchestra and Andrew Lawrence King's Harp Consort. Having been won over by the latter's discs, I couldn't resist this one just out of curiosity, and it won lots of plaudits on it's release. Hopefully will give it a listen later on.

It's in the DHM 50th anniversary box set, haven't listened to it for ages. I like the Rachel Podger version as well.
It'll be interesting to see what Hannah French chooses...




Update: Listening to the Andrew Lawrence-King CD now. I'd forgotten that there were Italian sonnets at the end (mercifully, for me, there's a translation here)

[MickyD]

And how do you find it Aunt Daisy? Irritatingly I couldn't listen this evening, so it'll have to wait till tomorrow.

[AuntDaisy]

And how do you find it Aunt Daisy? Irritatingly I couldn't listen this evening, so it'll have to wait till tomorrow.

I enjoyed the CD, a very lively performance and the sonnets at the end are a treat - DHM must have thought highly of it to include it in the box set.
It's also good to have other Op. 8 pieces, "Il Placere" & "Il Tempesta di Mare", included.

Talking of which... Trevor Pinnock recorded all twelve of the Op.8 concerti "Trial of Harmony & Invention", but I've only seen them on the CRD label (and they didn't make it to the Trevor Pinnock / ECO box set; nor, sadly, did lots of TP harpsichord solos.) There is a detailed booklet with the CDs, including the sonnets.

[MickyD]

Oh yes, I remember having that CRD set years ago on LP. I thought that the EC recorded them all again for Archiv, but I was mistaken, obviously it was just the Four Seasons. That version was considered the reference at the time, surpassing Hogwood's, although the latter won of all things a Brit award for it!

Many have lamented the omission of all the solo Pinnock discs, but I suppose the box was dedicated just to the EC recordings. Maybe there'll be a separate box of the solo stuff later.

[AuntDaisy]

Winter draws on...

[AuntDaisy]

I enjoyed the music, esp. the Purcell. Interesting to hear Michael Morpurgo.

Not sure about Daniel Pioro's meanderings, e.g. "I see a child in a frozen lake with the ice cracking under their feet..." and "Anton-io, are you surprised that we still perform this work, talk about it, analyse it and recompose it?"

Totally unconnected, Nicky Henson's "Pretentious? Moi?" suddenly sprang to mind.

[oddoneout]

I enjoyed the music, esp. the Purcell. Interesting to hear Michael Morpurgo.

Not sure about Daniel Pioro's meanderings, e.g. "I see a child in a frozen lake with the ice cracking under their feet..." and "Anton-io, are you surprised that we still perform this work, talk about it, analyse it and recompose it?"

Totally unconnected, Nicky Henson's "Pretentious? Moi?" suddenly sprang to mind.

But it did fit the somewhat abrupt end of the movement he was talking about?
I've just looked him up and he is young and I think a tad obsessive about Vivaldi, and also has strong views about how he wants the audience to experience the music he plays.

“Come and sit inside the violin and be terrified with me – get excited with me”

.Nigel Kennedy's early forays into 4 Seasons territory were pretty intense I seem to remember.

[AuntDaisy]

But it did fit the somewhat abrupt end of the movement he was talking about?
I've just looked him up and he is young and I think a tad obsessive about Vivaldi, and also has strong views about how he wants the audience to experience the music he plays. .Nigel Kennedy's early forays into 4 Seasons territory were pretty intense I seem to remember.

I suspect just about anything dramatic would fit, but why such a horrible fate?

Think I'll stick to Rachel Podger (with 4 extracts played) or Trevor Pinnock's interpretations over Daniel Pioro's (one extract).

[oddoneout]

I suspect just about anything dramatic would fit, but why such a horrible fate?

Think I'll stick to Rachel Podger (with 4 extracts played) or Trevor Pinnock's interpretations over Daniel Pioro's (one extract).

At least with audio you don't have to contend with someone deciding to pick up on his interpretation visually!

[AuntDaisy]

At least with audio you don't have to contend with someone deciding to pick up on his interpretation visually!

Very true.

[MickyD]

But it did fit the somewhat abrupt end of the movement he was talking about?
I've just looked him up and he is young and I think a tad obsessive about Vivaldi, and also has strong views about how he wants the audience to experience the music he plays. .Nigel Kennedy's early forays into 4 Seasons territory were pretty intense I seem to remember.

I recall being horrified by the Kennedy recording when it came out, and Nicholas Anderson in Gramophone felt the same way.