He was born March 4, 1678 in Venice, the same day an earthquake rocked that city.
He was known as "Il Prete Rosso" or The Red Priest. This is a very important factoid to know and our Brott Staff trivia team -The H'Educated Guessers - has come across this question many times at our weekly pub trivia league. It was no doubt given to Antonio because of his long, curly blazing red hair and of course, because he was a priest -- a vocation he may or may not have been forced into by his family in order to secure a free education or in believing the earthquake on his birthday carried some special meaning. His carrot top is obscured in this famous portrait by the fashionable white wig of the day.
Despite his saintly status, he is supposed to have had many love affairs, one of which was with the singer Anna Giraud, with whom he was suspected of using materials from old Venetian operas that he only slightly adapted to the vocal capabilities of his mistress. This business caused him some troubles with other musicians, like Benedetto Marcello, who wrote a pamphlet against him.
His most famous work, the Four Seasons violin concertos were first published in 1725 and were based on four sonnets, written by the famous poet Anonymous, though many think Vivaldi wrote them himself. On a nice sunny day here in Hamilton today, with the sound of melting snow slipping down the drainpipes, the text bringsthe burgeoning season to life: "Springtime is upon us.The birds celebrate her return with festive song, and murmuring streams are softly caressed by the breezes."
In addition to these sonnets, Vivaldi provided instructions such as "The barking dog" (in the second movement of "Spring"), "Languor caused by the heat" (in the first movement of "Summer"), and "the drunkards have fallen asleep" (in the second movement of "Autumn"). "Winter" features chilling staccato notes from the high strings, to evoke ice. The "Summer" section is often referred to as Storm, due to its final movement that was composed to evoke the clatter of a thunderstorm.
The four concertos were in fact part of a larger set of twelve, entitled Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione (The Contest between Harmony and Invention). Here's Boris conducting the lovely Linsdsay Deutsch and the McGill Chamber Orchestra a year ago.
Lindsay performed this work with our Festival in 2008. Also on the program were two modern takes on the Four Seasons, Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla's Estaciones Portenas - the Four Seasons of Buenos Aires -- here is an audio recording of Gidon Kremer playing the Autumn movement. and American jazz violinist Mark O'Connor's take on Vivaldi's "Spring." from his The American Seasons.
While Vivaldi had the violin in mind as the principle instrument for the Four Seasons, it became something of a badge of honour for rock guitarists in the 1980s to be able to play its intricate passages.
Vivaldi was as prolific a composer as Mozart in his day, writing over 500 concerti plus operas and sacred music. Sadly, like Mozart, he died a pauper and was buried in an unmarked grave.
His music fell into obscurity until the 1900s. Most of his repertoire was re-discovered only in the first half of the 20th century in Turin and Genoa, but was published in the second half. The resurrection of Vivaldi's works in the 20th century is mostly thanks to the efforts of Alfredo Casella, who in 1939, organised the now historic Vivaldi Week.
Vivaldi's music is innovative, breaking a consolidated tradition in schemes; he gave brightness to the formal and the rhythmic structure of the concerto, repeatedly looking for harmonic contrasts, and invented innovative melodies and themes. Hence, the vast popularity of his music with audiences.
Nigel Kennedy and the English Chamber Orchestra's 1989 album once held the record for the best-selling classical recording of all time. Bravo to the Red Priest!