Same for me I remember I was walking by a big music school in my hometown and I could hear some student playing the allegro of the Spring Concerto. Never saw who was playing it but it surprised me so much and got me into classical music and playing instruments
I heard it on the radio in high school, listened to the entire concerto to hear the composer announced. I was stunned, my orchestra had been butchering it for the last week. 🤦♂️
Being a Vivaldi fan and violinist my whole life, it’s easy to just take this stuff for granted! This video really renewed my appreciation for his creativity (especially within the orchestration constraints!)
Vivaldi is a great composer. But not just Four Seasons, he has many more masterpieces. One of the first classical pieces I heard, and made a lasting impression, making me fall in love with classical.
As an amateur writer and sculptor, I just love the motivations and origins of music like this, the meaning of each violin, each cello just inspire me to write and make more creations. Edit: It's been 8 months since my comment, I moved to a small, more rural town. Now that the chaos of the metropolis is over, I can walk through the region's fields and enjoy the wonders of nature. I want to see if I can buy a small sketchbook to record the places i go. As sad as it may be sometimes, life is beautiful
Im so glad you talked about Vivaldi! I love his concertos so much, of course the four seasons introduced me to him but there is so much more to him. So I hope one day you can review his other pieces
Vivaldi Four Season (Spring) is the one that made me fell in love with Classical Music 28 yrs ago at the tender age of 5. My first thought was, "Wow, this music feels so classy, fitting for royalties, and nobles" Now, 33 yrs old, still listening to this piece over and over again. Thanks for making in depth interpretation / description of Four Seasons.
True, but the best music belongs to everyone, not just the rich and powerful. I would say ordinary people deserve this more than royals ever did. Gangsta rap is what kings deserve
For me it was the third movement of Autumn. I just happened to randomly record off the radio and switched to the classical station and that was what was playing. Later I got a CD of this piece that I listened to on repeat as I slept every night. I'd say the third movement of Spring is probably my favorite overall.
The piece was what inspired me to compose a program music but for the entire sequence of a storm, from the calm weather all the way to the quiet destruction left by the storm. Also, second movement of Winter is the best.
What I find fascinating about the winter part is that on first glance it seems more like a winter in central or eastern Europe rather than in Vivaldi's hometown of Venice but the Four Seasons was composed during the height of the little ice age where the channels and lagoon of Venice did regularly freeze over thick enough to carry a person (which is extremely rare in modern times)
I always suspected there was something more going on with these 4 concertos. They are unlike much of the baroque music I’m familiar with. They seem to presage the future somewhat with articulated phrases and unexpected contrasts in texture. The storyline and imagery of the accompanying text (which I was previously unaware) greatly enriches the experience of the music. In the environment of my music education I heard composers and respected classical music aficionados Pooh-poohing Vivaldi before I had had the opportunity to know his music on my own terms. I can now confidently make a clean break from those notions that heretofore colored how I listened to Vivaldi, and enjoy and appreciate the extraordinary compositional skill he brought to these concerti. I’m so glad you made this video.
They are extremely unique particularly within the baroque repertoire. A true astonishing feat of originality. Even Bach could not have composed similaire works. No one did.
Yeah, I thought he would've mentioned in the video, its a pretty important and remarkable thing, this is one of the first examples of programmatic music ever, its almost impressionistic, music was just that, music, it wasn't about something or depicting something, Vivaldi was one of the firsts to do that, specially to such an extent.
I find it completely impossible to not be captured by the story told by you, Oscar. You stand, to me, as a very talented storyteller - topped with being "geeky" in your field. Your passion shines clear! Keep on your great work 😊
What a timing. Less than 5 minutes ago I was like "Wierd that there isn't any inside the scores video about Vivaldi's Four Seasons" and then I open youtube to find this video.
One of your best videos. You gave me and many other subscribers a totally different view on Vivaldi, the four seasons and barock music. The piece almost feels romantic by now, and when I visit Italy I will surely listen to the four seasons, with Vivaldi's annotations and the sonnets. From the deepest of my heart, thank you Oscar.
Even as a child this piece when I first heard it was intriguing. It’s one of the best baroque things in my book. Excellent video to offer how important context is to music
I have always loved Vivladi Four seasons. But never knew about the poem side. I simply responded to the emotion embeded to the performance. Thank you for giving the context that helps explains *why* I love it.
I love the way you go into explaining your videos. Understanding the pieces better surely puts one on the path of learning to love this music with more depth. Thank you for your disciplined effort to bring such high quality videos to all of us!
Excellent work and great use of images to provide historicity. Very well done as always, sir! For those interested in the sonnets, there is actually another helpful video by Ramon Ferreira with English translations displayed alongside the music at the correct timings.
Wow, your way of telling the story is so amazing! I studied Vivaldi's four seasons so I knew the story but you empowered it so much, I could feel all the emotions of the music through your voice. That was the best way I ever listen to this story!
La Quattro Stagionni . A piece written for a single instrument but played by several - and accompanied by a harpsichord continuo. Perhaps the greatest piece of ongoing string writing ever? The only fault that I/ we(?) can find with it is that we hear too often; from the concert hall; the movies; the mall; elevators; voicemail, AARGH! But that only serves to emphasise just how great it is. Fifty years ago ( I was 16) my girlfriend (she was cough, almost 16) and I both lost our innocence while listening to Autumn. It felt incredibly good, romantic. I told her I loved her and she returned the sentiment. By the time Winter was finishing, we were having our first row. But it all worked out and two years later we became man and wife. We were married for 41 years and then she, somewhat carelessly, decided to kick the bucket while listening to Debussy’s ‘Prelude a l’apres midi etc’. I’d always warned her that it was too relaxing a piece for first thing in the morning - she overdid the ‘relaxation’ 🥺 Anyway, what’s everyone’s favourite programme music? I’m torn between ‘Finlandia’ and ‘An American in Paris’.
My favourite concerto. So powerful. When I listen to Thomas Newman's score for Road to perdition, the mood of the music doesn't necessarily match what's going on the screen. There's a particular sequence where father and son Rob a string of banks and the music is cheerful. As if the composer is saying these are not robberies, these are bonding moments between father and son
First time I heard this brilliantly captivating music was when my brother-in-law to be wanted to present me an expensive pre-wedding gift as is the custom here in India. I refused and on his insistence I asked him to present me an audio cassette (in 1988) of this composition costing Rupees 33 or $0.40...
This is Music appreciation at its absolute BEST! BRAVO! Bonus for being about my favorite composer; as a violinist too, Vivaldi's works appeals to me wonderfully.
Thank you so much for this amazing episodes! ❤Vivaldi is so overplayed that it got to the point where I was refraining from listening to it. Your's video just brings a whole new dimension to its interpretation and now I got to listen to it with new sensations like a delightful reacquaintance. Btw, I really like Piazzolla's four seasons and I would really love to hear your take on it!
I love the imagery accompanying this amazing music ... "Innocent" turtle doves calls eh? I can't believe you skipped the 3rd movement of summer! (Edit ok nevermind, it's all in the beginning)
I’ll always be thankful to my music appreciation teacher for introducing me to these masterpieces. Ms. Morris if you’re out there, you started me on a journey to classical music ❤
Love the analysis and I'm with you for 99% of it! The only thing that makes be a bit sceptical, is the autumn part...to be fair, I'm not a pro at analysing music, I perform lots of classical pieces and have listening for a decade. But the whole video is about "look how great and accurate he depicts these descriptions with music"! And the autumn and the drunk peasents come...and the argument is, "look at how he makes us think by composing something that doesn't really fit the description"...? I know this really dumbs the analysis down a notch, but I can't help but think: What if he just didn't get that part like he wanted, not quite right :D
Thank you! Vivaldi was my first favorite composer. The point you made about summer (RV315) was a realease to hear. A first grade teacher tried to convince me summer was "perfectly" musically described, which I didn't agree with as a 7 year old kid. The seasonal sonets was unknown to me until now, and it explains it all.
There was a short film using Vivaldi's Four Seasons. I think it was animated. It was from the late 60's or early 70's. My favourite part was with the Autumn winds and rain beating on a tine roof. I wish i could recall the entire thing, but it's elusive now.
Finally a video about Vivaldi, I am impatiently looking forward for more videos on Vivaldi's genius, specially his influence on other composers including the great Bach
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Just last week heard live 4 Seasons during Charleston SC Piccolo Spoleto Festival. Performed in 11:59 small ornate 1813 church, with college dean reading sonnets before each movement. So nice to have additional info and visuals in this video.
There is no more beautiful language to sing than Italian. In fact, it's the wellest known of all languages for being song-like, though I was surprised to see a Brazilian musical film. Not Portuguese, but it's weller known cousin, Brazilian. I will explore the chorale work in VO.
Reading about this in jr. high is part of what inspired me to start on my own work relating to a seasonal cycle, complete with poetry lines above the score (the other major inspiration being the mythology around Beethoven's "Immortal Beloved").
Spring has always been my least favorite movement, primarily because I’m not a fan of upbeat, chirpy pieces, but this video really made me appreciate it. I had no idea there were poems attached to each season but they really helped me gain insight.
The person speaking about Vivaldi in this movie is very good to listen to. I am not a fan of long intro speaking,BUT this man is very good and I like him..
To adequately interpret Nietzsche's Thus spoke Zarathustra would take a whole series of videos by itself (and the tone poem is massively complex), but it'd be cool for sure!
These are like the scores before movies, For poems instead! So awesome. Like Clair de lune as well. I would like to compose something to a poem or book as well
