Antonio Vivaldi : Classics Explained: VIVALDI - The Four Seasons (Siepmann)
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1 An ' echo ' with a difference
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2 New, rising scale-pattern unfurled with ever-greater breadth
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3 Soloist returns with new variant
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4 The pace increases eight-fold in concluding downwards scale
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5 Pace slows as violins trace another four-note scalewise descent
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6 The peasants return with the main theme, which turns unexpectedly downward
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7 Against an unvarying tempo, the pace is repeatedly varied
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8 Intensification as harmonies change under broad, descending four-note ' motto '
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9 Foreground / Background
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10 Detailed discussion of foreground / background perceptions; analogies with speech
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11 Mini-earthquake transformed into harmonic landslide
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12 Critical mood-change in soloist's lonely soliloquy
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13 Violins accompanied by flowing ' commentary ' in lower strings
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14 Two scalewise ideas for the price of one: foreground and background
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15 Reminder of ' echoed ' phrase in its original form
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16 Soloist's flurries interrupted by six blasts of orchestral wind
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17 Teeth chattering, and with stamping feet, the travellers finally reach their goal
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18 Surprise variant provides springboard into new descending four-note pattern
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19 Unexpected, ' flowing ' entrance of soloist
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20 Cue to First Movement as a whole
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21 The use of ' sequence ' in first extended solo
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22 Soloist's ' aria ' accompanied by pizzicato ' raindrops '
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23 Vivaldi prepares expectation...
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24 ... and frustrates it by bringing in a new theme, using his four-note ' motto '
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25 A sequence of simple scales, accompanied by opening rhythm
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26 Cue to restoration of main theme in its entirety as the movement ends
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27 Scene-setting; soloist begins for the first time
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28 Soloist rises progressively, in sequence, decoratively outling chord of the home key
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29 Cue to final movement
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30 The storm subsides; soloist enters as weeping peasant boy
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31 Movement ends as storm returns
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32 Second movement opens with extremecontrasts
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33 Stormy Weather; thunder
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34 Lightning from upper strings
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35 More lightning: ' heat ' lightning from violins, ' fork ' lightning from violas
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36 Torrential rain, depicted by entire orchestra
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37 Deferred entry of solo violin, in virtuoso vein
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38 Peasant's failing resolve as violin spirals down
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39 Nature triumphant; soloist draws on orchestra's 'rain' music
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40 Gentle breezes give away to North Wing
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41 Soloist returns,first as turtle-dove, then as goldfinch
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42 Scene setting and opening of First Movement
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43 First orchestral section; ace is halved; the undermining onset of chromaticism
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44 The walkers lose their balance and stylishly fall down
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45 Expanded groups of answering phrase
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46 Soloist returns as the original solitary walker and strides away from the others
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47 Upper and lower strings alternately succumb to lethargy
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48 One tempo, two rates of speed: fast for the soloist, slow for the orchestra
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49 As in ' Spring ', soloist enters with birdsong
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50 Orchestra evokes the warm winds of the Sirocco
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51 Orchestra hijacks soloist's material
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52 Answering blast from the Borea, the could wind of the north; struggle for supremacy
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53 The peasant's capitulation
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54 Repetitiousness and folk music; the movement's opening
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55 The first Solo section: birdsong from three soloists, not one
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56 Other drunks join in ' dialogue ' with the orchestra
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57 The orchestral peasants continue their dancing, but things have changed
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58 Repeat of ' two-pronged ' theme in orchestra
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59 Orchestra depicts murmuring stream, but still there's no real melody
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60 Enter another drunk, courtesy of the virtuoso soloist
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61 The dance breaks up
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62 Further illustrative ' water studies '
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63 Orchestra erupts into thunderstorm
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64 The drunkard interrupts again, then falls asleep, breathing heavily
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65 Conversation amongst the sober peasants leads to their final dance
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66 Same idea repeated 3 times
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67 Orchestra re-enters with main theme, but is interrupted by the drunkard
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68 Introduction: Opening, upward-pointing figure
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69 Answering, downward figure completes the phrase
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70 Secondary theme, a closely related development of the first
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71 Solo entry restates the opening theme, ' double-stopping '
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72 Beginning of dialogue
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73 Unexpectedly, a new theme where a repeat might be expected
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74 The nature of musical conversation; repetition; ' echo ' effect
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75 Upward pointing to one ' target ' note
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76 The soloist as ' drunkard '
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77 ' Answer ' points to two, downward notes
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78 Further violinistic slips and slides
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79 Orchestral thunder, virtuosic ' lightning ' from soloist - but still no ' tune '
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80 First Movement (Complete)
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81 Soloistic ' birds ' return to the air
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82 Soloist suddenly takes the part of the fleeing beast
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83 Analytical discussion of ' pace ' and ' tempo ' ; further variant of main theme
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84 Symmetrical paralels with First Movement: ' beast ' / ' drunkard ' etc
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85 Vivaldi springs a surprise, reversing direction and heightening tension
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86 Analytical cue to Second Movement
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87 Death of the quarry, end of the movement
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88 Third Movement (complete)
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89 Undercover ' bagpipes ' initiate the finale
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90 Orchestral strings enter, part by part; soloist depicts the biting wind
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91 Second part of Main Theme: new notes, same rhythm
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92 Wind subsides and returns, tormenting the trudgers through the snow
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93 Further variation, tracing slow, descending scale-steps
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94 Orchestra yields to unexpected display of virtuosity by soloist
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95 Scene-setting for Second Movement
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96 Variant of opening theme, with ' argument ' between two notes, one high, one low
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97 Second Movement (Complete)
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98 Cue to First Movement
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99 Similarities between the Third Movement and the First
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100 Expectation and surprise: Vivaldi tacks on one bar too many
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101 Scene setting and Main Theme of Second Movement
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102 A case of predictable unpredictablity: novelty and repetition
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103 Analytical comment and Main Theme again
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104 Main Theme varied
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105 Soloist's double-stopping depicts hunting horns
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106 Soloist depicts snow flurries
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