ANTONIO VIVALDI

The brilliant Antonio Vivaldi, a composer, violinist and conductor, is probably the most prominent representative of the Italian Baroque. He composed more than 40 operas, 90 sonatas, cantatas, motets, oratorios and symphonies. However, the largest part of the composer’s oeuvre consists of solo concerti – he wrote over 500 of them. Of course, the most popular of them – cycle of four concerti for violin and orchestra The Four Seasons (Le quattro stagioni) – is considered to be a masterpiece of classical music. The four concerti represent musical portrayal of spring, summer, autumn and winter, in which all the elements of nature are vividly conveyed. The titles of the concerti as well as the composer’s selected sonnets, resounding with the illustrative and picturesque music, became the catalyst of the musical paintings in The Four Seasons. The whole cycle is characterized by lustrous and memorable melodies, fast-paced and expressive rhythm, and the traditional three-movement form. In the concerti, striking soloist renderings are alternating with orchestral episodes. This expressive conversation full of dynamic contrasts features the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra and its artistic director and violin virtuoso Sergej Krylov.