Beating the Heat with Vivaldi's Summer (Four Seasons)
The Best Moments
Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315
Hello, I am Antonio Vivaldi, and welcome to the best moments of my Summer (Four Seasons). Here you will hear how I use a solo violin and the orchestra to turn an oppressive, sticky afternoon into a violent thunderstorm that flattens the ripe grain. On this site, the other composers and I also help you recognize our music whenever it plays, so feel free to visit our Trainer and give it a go.
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Too Hot to Trot
I start I. Allegro non molto with halting, heavy notes in G minor to paint a picture of people and flocks completely worn out by the blazing summer sun. The strings drag their feet with such little energy that they sound like someone trying to walk through warm molasses on a humid afternoon.
Rude Awakenings
In the opening of II. Adagio e piano – Presto e forte, I give the solo violin a slow, quiet melody for our tired shepherd while the other strings buzz underneath like an annoying swarm of flies and hornets. Just when he nearly drifts off, the whole orchestra barges in with a sudden, loud blast of thunder that is about as subtle as a pan dropped in a quiet kitchen.
Nature's Tantrum
For the start of III. Presto, I unleash the full orchestra in a furious rush of fast, tumbling notes that bring the summer thunderstorm right over our heads. With hail and lightning flattening the ripe grain crops, the violins saw away so fiercely you might worry their bows are about to catch fire.
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Did you enjoy walking through the best moments of Summer (Four Seasons) with me? Even after the final thunderstorm of III. Presto clears, there is still plenty more to discover about how I put this concerto together during my years in Mantua. Have a look at the links on this page if you would like to explore the rest of the story behind Summer (Four Seasons).
Recording: The Modena Chamber Orchestra, PDM-owner