

These were composed around 1718−1720, when Vivaldi was the court chapel master in Mantua. The Four Seasons ( Italian: Le quattro stagioni) is a group of four violin concertos by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi, each of which gives musical expression to a season of the year. – Musicians using their bodies and different parts of their instruments to make percussive sounds.Antonio Vivaldi (engraving by François Morellon de La Cave, from Michel-Charles Le Cène's edition of Vivaldi's Op. – Elements we’ve heard before – crickets, tango, glissando, all coming together in a fugue (when each player takes turns with a theme – before they all the different themes are woven together). Piazzolla: ‘Primavera porteña’ (Spring in Buenos Aires) – Icicles – the chattering of teeth and shivering. Vivaldi: Concerto in F minor, ‘L’inverno’ (Winter) – Hints of Vivaldi’s Summer interwoven like passing characters in a busy square. Perhaps the person is deep in thought – but surrounded by the city. – A love song between the solo cello and violin. Piazzolla: ‘Invierno porteño’ (Winter in Buenos Aires) – A section where someone is sleeping because they stayed up too late eating and drinking! Who do you think the solo violin might be? Imagine the people stamping and linking hands. Vivaldi: Concerto in F major, ‘L’autunno’ (Autumn) – A reflective section introduced by a cello, as if someone new has just walked onto the scene. – Insects – played using a technique called sul ponticello where the musicians place their bow very close to the wooden bridge of their instruments to create more of a rasping sound. Piazzolla: ‘Otoño porteño’ (Autumn in Buenos Aires) – Thunder rumbling in the background – and then a dramatic summer storm. Perhaps it’s feeling a bit lazy in the heat? – The solo violin taking lots of time singing away. Vivaldi: Concerto in G minor, ‘L’estate’ (Summer) – An echo of Vivaldi’s Winter (when it’s summer in Buenos Aires, it’s winter in Italy!) – Sliding movements in the violin, called glissandos, playing over the ‘chugging’ rhythms which set the tango pulse. Piazzolla: ‘Verano porteño’ (Summer in Buenos Aires) – A barking dog in the viola during the slow section.

– Twittering birds in the trilling violins. Vivaldi: Concerto in E major, ‘La primavera’ (Spring)
