The Four Seasons, No. 1: Concerto for Violin in E - Spring (Le Quattro Stagioni: La Primavera, RV269/F.I: 22)

THE FOUR SEASONS concerti, Antonio Vivaldi's most popular works, are exemplary both as early, detailed examples of what would come to be called "program music," but also because of the revolution in musical concepts necessary to make the music programmatic, with representations of singing birds (differentiated by species), buzzing flies, storms, flowing creeks, and shepherd and his barking dog, hunting parties, parties hunted, drunken dancers, frozen landscapes, and warm winter fires. Vivaldi even published the concerti with accompanyting sonnets that made clear what in each season the music was meant to invoke. While the other three concerti are wholly original, "Spring" actually borrows patterns from Vivaldi's sinfonia in the first act of his opera IL GIUSTINO. Instrumentation in set: Org or Hpchd: Str (8-8-5-5-5): Solo Vn.