The title A Tale of Two Seasons has nothing to do with Vivaldi's Four Seasons violin concertos, but rather to two operatic seasons, those of 1717 and 1733, during which the works here might have arisen or at least been used. Due to the chaotic transmission of his music, much of it is difficult to precisely date, but the works here were likely associated with each other in two sets, one from the earlier season and one from the later. The combination of operatic arias and concertos is authentic, for Vivaldi and perhaps his ...
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The title A Tale of Two Seasons has nothing to do with Vivaldi's Four Seasons violin concertos, but rather to two operatic seasons, those of 1717 and 1733, during which the works here might have arisen or at least been used. Due to the chaotic transmission of his music, much of it is difficult to precisely date, but the works here were likely associated with each other in two sets, one from the earlier season and one from the later. The combination of operatic arias and concertos is authentic, for Vivaldi and perhaps his student Pisendel are known to have performed concertos between acts of at least the first of these operas, and it was in this arena that the crossover of style between opera and concerto that does so much to define Vivaldi's music seems to have taken place. British violinist Adrian Chandler and his ensemble La Serenissima do very well at bringing the relationships out. The group's style is a somewhat calmed-down version of the tumultuous operatic-instrumental style perfected by Italian...
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