Essential Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi was one of the most influential composers of the Italian baroque, and, thanks to his ever-popular 'Four Seasons', is undoubtedly also the best known. Those concertos (themselves part of a set of 12 works), are just four of 100s he composed throughout his life – many of them for unusual instruments or combinations.
Read more…Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1679, the son of a violinist in the orchestra of St Mark's. He trained as a priest before taking up a teaching post at a Venetian orphanage, 'L'Ospedale della pietà' and starting to publish compositions. These he produced at an astonishing rate, establishing in the 1710s a Europe-wide reputation with his concertos and then his operas – some 50 of which survive. Though clearly a difficult man – his biography features several run-ins with various establishments – he played an important role in formalising the fast-slow-fast scheme that would become standard in concertos, as well as being behind several other important developments. His music across all genres is characterised by rhythmic excitement, lyrical freedom and imagination, as well as the vivid descriptiveness familiar from the 'Four Seasons' – all characteristics that have been gleefully emphasised, in particular, by performers from the period-instrument movement.