Antonio Vivaldi

[JasonPalmer]

Playing spring right now, this is certainly a composer I would like to know more about.

In Monday’s episode, Donald explores spring in Vivaldi’s life and his early years in Venice working at the Ospedale della Pietà – the Hospital of the Compassion - an orphanage for young girls, one of four such institutions across Venice, which acted as musical schools. Vivaldi would go on to have connections with the Pietà for almost all of his working life.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001hg6g

[Pulcinella]

Playing spring right now, this is certainly a composer I would like to know more about.

In Monday’s episode, Donald explores spring in Vivaldi’s life and his early years in Venice working at the Ospedale della Pietà – the Hospital of the Compassion - an orphanage for young girls, one of four such institutions across Venice, which acted as musical schools. Vivaldi would go on to have connections with the Pietà for almost all of his working life.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001hg6g

Jason

There's a Composer thread about him (admittedly not contributed to recently) that might be a start.

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?16585-Vivaldi

[JasonPalmer]

Thanks. Will have a look.

[smittims]

I think many people would like to know more about Vivaldi the man, his daily life and thoughts, etc. There seem to be great gaps in his biography.

For instance, as a priest, how devout was he? What was it like teaching music in a girls' school?

My big discovery was his bassoon concertos. Many people dismiss them as a joke (who would write thirty-nine bassoon concertos? )without listening to them. Yet they are among his best, because they are more mature than most of his bettter-known concertos.

[oddoneout]

I think many people would like to know more about Vivaldi the man, his daily life and thoughts, etc. There seem to be great gaps in his biography.

For instance, as a priest, how devout was he? What was it like teaching music in a girls' school?

My big discovery was his bassoon concertos. Many people dismiss them as a joke (who would write thirty-nine bassoon concertos? )without listening to them. Yet they are among his best, because they are more mature than most of his bettter-known concertos.

I got the impression from this morning's programme that there is a shortage of facts to put in a biography?
The introduction to the programme was a brief mash up of various composers/performers' goes at Vivaldi, not identified as it was illustrating a point, but after DM had spoken there was a large chunk of what I believe was Corrette's take on Spring from the Four Seasons, but it doesn't appear in the Music Played list - which strikes me as unhelpful given that it was a part of the programme proper.

[RichardB]

I got the impression from this morning's programme that there is a shortage of facts to put in a biography?

I'm sure there's more than enough to fill the gaps between the music in five radio programmes.

[JasonPalmer]

Listening again, very interesting stuff, did not know Vivaldi was such a success in his lifetime and composed operas, I always thought he was just employed at that girls school.

[smittims]

Like many pre-classical operas, Vivaldi's were ignored for centuries, but thanks to a lot of research and hard work by experts such as, among others, Professor Eric Cross, they are being revived, broadening our understanding of this 'master of the baroque' as marc Pincherle called him.

[JasonPalmer]

Interesting episode today mentioning how he was moving out of fashion.

[MickyD]

Like many pre-classical operas, Vivaldi's were ignored for centuries, but thanks to a lot of research and hard work by experts such as, among others, Professor Eric Cross, they are being revived, broadening our understanding of this 'master of the baroque' as marc Pincherle called him.

And thank heavens for the admirable ongoing Naive series, which has revealed so much buried treasure.