Here are some recommended masterpieces and signature works by Antonio Vivaldi, the great Baroque composer and violinist.
During his lifetime, Vivaldi advanced the emerging concerto style and influenced musicians across Europe through his orchestration, violin technique, and programmatic music.
Although his musical reputation waned for a time after his peak, modern scholarship and performers have brought renewed appreciation to his work.
Even today, new pieces continue to be discovered, and his influence remains strong.
When you listen to Vivaldi, try to listen closely.
Your discovery might turn out to be a breakthrough of the century.
Enjoy listening.
Vivaldi’s masterpieces. Popular classical music (1–10)
The Four Seasons RV 269Antonio Vivaldi
Vivaldi - The Four Seasons
It is the collective title given to the First Part (Nos.
1–4) of The Contest Between Harmony and Invention, and it is a masterpiece widely known even beyond classical music enthusiasts.
It depicts the seasons of the Republic of Venice (present-day Italy), where Vivaldi was born and raised.
Although the work bears the titles Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, it is not structured in four movements; rather, each of the four titled pieces consists of three movements, making it a very large-scale collection.
In Japan, where the four seasons are distinct, many listeners find its musical expression particularly relatable, and it is especially popular.
A captivating concerto grosso in which the sweet timbres of violin, oboe, two recorders, two oboes, bassoon, and strings blend seamlessly.
After meeting Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Georg Pisendel—a late German composer and violinist who served in the court orchestra of the Elector of Saxony—performed his works across Europe.
This piece helped bring the music of the Italian composer Vivaldi to the attention of other countries.
Violin Concerto in E-flat major “La tempesta di mare” RV 253Antonio Vivaldi
Vivaldi – La tempesta di mare RV 253
The fifth piece in the concerto collection “The Contest Between Harmony and Invention,” which includes Antonio Vivaldi’s famous The Four Seasons, one of his violin concertos.
Despite the title, the “storm” here is not a terrifying, raging tempest; rather, it evokes waves large and small rolling in and out beneath a bright, sunlit sky.
There is also a work with the same title arranged as a flute concerto.
“Magnificat” is a type of Christian sacred song that sets the Virgin Mary’s prayer from the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament.
Vivaldi’s Magnificat is notable for its crisp orchestral unison and a noble, sorrow-tinged soprano melody.
The best-known version, RV 610, was composed for soloists, four-part choir, oboes, and string orchestra; however, in the final 1739 version, five arias were substituted to be sung by the girls of the Ospedale della Pietà orphanage, making it an 11-movement work of about 20 minutes.
Johann Sebastian Bach, a German Baroque composer, also wrote a sacred work of the same name, which is likewise famous—so it’s worth listening to them side by side.
