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By Jacob Stockinger
The baroque master and violin virtuoso Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741, below) composed the most recorded piece of classical music of all time: “The Four Seasons.”
The work was composed around 1720 and published in 1723, but because Vivaldi died in poverty and his music fell into obscurity, it was not rediscovered and recorded until 1939. And scholars are still finding manuscripts and rediscovering works by the prolific composer who has some 500 concertos and 40 operas to his credit.
The Roman Catholic priest with flaming red hair who was admired by J.S. Bach and who taught at an orphanage for girls in Venice, Italy, has been the subject of numerous biographies, critical studies and even novels, including mystery novels.
But now — after a 20-year delay since the script was completed and submitted — Vivaldi is about to hit the Big Screen in a biopic.
Last year saw “Maestro” about Leonard Bernstein and his wife. And a movie about opera diva Maria Callas is in the works with Angelina Jolie in the title role.
It seems a trend that might perhaps help attendance as concert organizations still are struggling to recover from the Covid pandemic. One wonders if we will see more Vivaldi programmed in response to his increased visibility and publicity his music will get thanks to Hollywood.
For more background and details, here is a link to the story on Classic FM:
Which is your favorite of the four violin concertos that make up “The Four Seasons”?
And what about Vivaldi’s other pieces, including the glorious “Gloria”?
The Ear particularly likes Vivaldi’s concertos for two violins. It is in A minor, RV 523, and you can hear the first movement played by Simon Standage and Collegium 90 in the YouTube video at the bottom.
Do you recommend a particular work by Vivaldi?
What is your favorite piece — choral, operatic, instrumental — by The Red Priest?
The Ear wants to hear.
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Today The Ear wishes Happy Birthday to composer Antonio Vivaldi (below), who was born on this day — March 4 — in 1678 in Venice. (He became famous but died in poverty at age 63 on July 28, 1741, also in Venice.)
The Ear likes Vivaldi and his music deserves many more live performances. Even local early music and modern music groups seems reluctant to program much Vivaldi besides “The Four Seasons,” despite the popularity of his other works. Vivaldi not only composed a lot but he did so for many instruments — strings, brass, winds — and in other genres than concertos including sonatas, choral works and operas.
Listen to Vivaldi in the morning. Who can resist him? The Italian style with its energetic rhythm, songful lyricism and major-key cheerfulness are caffeine for the ears.
There are so many fine groups and soloists who perform Vivaldi. Yet so much of his prolific output remains relatively unknown or unheard.
That’s too bad. Johann Sebastian Bach recognized a good thing when he heard it, so he “borrowed” and transcribed many of Vivaldi’s works. One imagines the Italian taste for transparency and tunes appealed to Bach and helped him leaven the often dense, even pedantic Germanic counterpoint and smothering religiosity. Vivaldi provided a model influence for Bach’s eclectic fusion of styles.
Here is a link to an extended Wikipedia biography of the “Red Priest” (below) — Vivaldi’s nickname, used during his teaching at an all-girls school in Venice and derived from his bright red hair. It holds some surprises including the political controversy that surrounded Vivaldi in his day:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Vivaldi
A lot of modern musicians and music historians seem to hold Vivaldi’s popularity and listener-friendly music against him. Opinions seem divided over who made the snide remark — Igor Stravinsky, Luigi Dallapiccola or both — that Vivaldi rewrote the same concerto 500 times.
Here is an informative takedown of that putdown:
https://notanothermusichistorycliche.blogspot.com/2018/10/did-stravinsky-say-vivaldi-wrote-same.html
In the YouTube video at the bottom is a favorite Vivaldi movement of mine. It helped give me a lifelong unforgettable moment as an accompaniment to viewing NASA’s recently taken moon footage at 37,000 feet in a plane on my way to Hawaii. It is the slow movement of the lute concerto played on the guitar by Julian Bream — and it was perfect for expressing weightlessness and space flight.
That was long ago.
These days for period-instrument performances, I tend to favor The English Concert under Trevor Pinnock , The Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood, and the Academy of Ancient Music Berlin — although there are others terrific ensembles including the modern instrument groups I Musici and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
For period string soloists — try the double concertos — look to Simon Standage, Monica Huggett, Andrew Manze and Rachel Podger. For modern instrumentalists, check out Victoria Mullova and especially the Israeli violinist Shlomo Mintz, who uses his own ordering and groupings of concertos. I also like the period cellist Christophe Coin and the modern cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras.
Do you have an opinion about Vivaldi — a like or dislike of his music?
Do you have a favorite Vivaldi work?
Do you have favorite performers of Vivaldi?
The Ear wants to hear.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble — an acclaimed and veteran group specializing in early music performed on period instruments and with historically informed performance practices — will give a concert of baroque chamber music on this coming Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.
The concert is in Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church (below are exterior and interior views), 1833 Regent Street, on Madison’s near west side.
Members and performers in the Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble include: UW-Madison professor Mimmi Fulmer – soprano; Nathan Giglierano – baroque violin; Brett Lipshutz – traverse flute; Eric Miller – viola da gamba; Sigrun Paust – recorder; Consuelo Sañudo – mezzo-soprano; Monica Steger – traverse flute and harpsichord; Anton TenWolde – baroque cello; and Max Yount – harpsichord.
Tickets at the door are: $20 for the general public; $10 for students.
For more information, call (608) 238 5126, or email: info@wisconsinbaroque.org, or visit www.wisconsinbaroque.org
A FREE post-concert reception will be held at 2422 Kendall Ave, second floor.
The program features:
Giovanni Legrenzi – “Ave Regina Coelorum” (Hail, O Queen of Heaven)
Jacques Morel – Chaconne en trio, from “Livre de pieces de viola” or Book of Pieces for Viol)
Jean-Baptiste Lully – “Plaite de Vénus sur la mort d’Adonis” (Lament of Venus on the Death of Adonis)
Georg Friedrich Handel (below) – Sonata for violin and basso continuo, Opus 1, No. 3 (You can sample the lovely opening movement, played by Simon Standage on violin and The English Concert’s director Trevor Pinnock on harpsichord, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Intermission
Georg Philipp Telemann (below) – “Hemmet den Eifer, verbannet die Rache” (Restrain Your Zeal, Banish Your Revenge)
Jacob Friedrich Kleinknecht – Sonata for traverso and basso continuo, Opus 1, No. 2
Giacomo Carissimi – “Rimante in pace ormai” (Remain in Peace Henceforth)
Georg Philipp Telemann – Quartetto in G major, TWV 43:G6
For more information about the Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble, go to: http://wisconsinbaroque.org
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