The Four Seasons

The twelve violin concertos "Il cimento dell 'ormoniae dell' invenzione," (the conflict between harmony and invention) Op. 8 by Vivaldi contain in numbers one to four, "Le quattro stagioni," or the Four Seasons. The sequence of four "Concerti Grossi" amounts in effect to a violin concerto, of which the solo was here played with imperturbable excellence by Mauprice Clare.

Essentially the music is an early example or programme music which lends colour to the contention that Vivaldi is still an underestimated composer, imaginative as Well as technically well equipped. Each concerto is prefaced by a sonnet giving the story of the particular season dealt with, and throughout the score motives are clearly labelled as representing objects or events in that sonnet. This naive procedure is responsible for some surprising passages which would be inexplicable were it not for their illustrative function as in "Winter" were repeated quavers and semiquavers (recalling the Frost scene in Purcell's King Arthur) at the words "teeth chattering with the cold." or again the sudden chromatic poignancies at the words "the shepherd laments." or the strange intervals of the solo violin phrase at "the death of the huntsman's quarry." Like most programme music, in fact, the score loses half its point when the programme is not known; but even listen to purely as agreeable sound the concertos are attractive. I wish the order of the works could be changed so that we could here the remarkable "Winter" concerto first. This would throk into high relief the ensuing "Spring Concerto."

So much for the music, as for performance I was not so impressed with this the second performance by such a musicianally combination, as with the original presentation in December, 1952. On that occasion I was not present in the Town Hall but glued to the family radio in Hastings where although the frequences range was restricted by our receiver, microphone placement in the Hall had ensured proper balance of soloist and orchestra. There seemed to me to be a lack of brilliance noted in that earlier presentation. This [unclear: may] be attributable in part to the playing of the piano continuo (which replaced the harpsicord in the original score) for I noted a change of pianist in the second performance Blurred phrasing emitted from the machine and at times, simple accompanying arpeggio assumed an almost concertante part. That then was how it was to this pair of ears.