The following was in my newspaper today and made me think of our ....... what are we calling our 'evening'?

'Was Vivaldi's Four Seasons' created as the background music to a poetry recital? What was the poem?'

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was born in Venice on March 4 1678, and he spent most of his working life as master of violin at the Conservatoirio dell'Ospedale della Pieta (Devout Hospital of Mercy) in the city.
Often termed an 'orphanage' this was in fact a shelter for illegitimate daughters of noblemen who funded it. The girls lived in plush surroundings and the musical standards were among the highest in Venice. Much of the music he created in this period was performed by his talented pupils.
A prolific composer, Vivaldi produced hundreds of concertos, many sacred works and several operas. The pinnacle was his 1725 masterwork The Four Seasons.
From early times, music accompanied theatrical dance and story-telling, and programme music was written to portray historical events and nature. The four seasons were a popular theme, and Vivaldi was certainly not the first to use them.
To describe The Four Seasons, Vivaldi wrote four sonnets each represented by a seasonal concerto. Each sonnet and each concerto was split into three movements.
Early scores were marked to show which musical passages represented which verses of the sonnet. You can follow the sonnets and music together.'

SPRING- concerto in E major

ALLEGRO
Springtime is upon us.
The birds celebrate her return
with festive song,
and murmuring streams are softly
caressed by the breezes.
Thunderstorms, those heralds of
Spring, roar, casting their dark
mantle over heaven.
Then they die away to silence,
and the birds take up their
charming songs once more.

LARGO
On the flower-strewn meadow,
with leafy branches rustling
overhead, the goat-herd sleeps,
his faithful dog beside him.

ALLEGRO
Led my the festive sound of
rustic bagpipes, nymphs and
shepherds lightly dance
beneath the brilliant canopy
of spring.

SUMMER - concerto in G minor

ALLEGRO NON MOLTO
Beneath the blazing sun's
relentless heat,
Men and flocks are sweltering,
Pines are scorched.
We hear the couckoo's voice; then
sweet songs of the turtle dove
and finch are heard.
Soft breezes stir the air - but
threatening north wind sweeps
them suddenly aside. The
shepherd trembles, fearful of
violent storm and what may
lie ahead.

Adagio e piano - Presto e forte
His limbs are now awakened
from their repose by fear of
lightning's flash and thunder's
roar, as gnats and flies buzz
furiously around.
PRESTO

Alas, his worst fears were
justified, as the heavens roar
and great hailstones beat down
upon the proudly
standing corn.

AUTUMN - concerto in F major

ALLEGRO
The peasant celebrates with song
and dance the harvest safely
gathered in.
The cup of Bacchus flows freely,
and many find their relief in
deep slumber.

ADAGIO MOLTO
The singing and the dancing
die away
As cooling breezes fan the
pleasant air,
Inviting all to sleep
Without a care.

ALLEGRO
The hunters emerge at dawn,
Ready for the chase,
With horns and dogs and cries.
Their quarry flees while they
give chase.
Terrified and wounded, the prey
struggles on,
But, harried, dies.

WINTER - concerto in F minor

ALLEGRO NON MOLTO
Shivering, frozen mid the frosty
snow in biting, stinging winds;
Running to and fro to stamp one's
icy feet, teeth chattering in the
bitter chill.

LARGO
To rest contentedly beside the
hearth, while those outside are
drenched by pouring rain.

ALLEGRO
We tread the ivy path slowly and
cautiously, for fear of tripping
and falling.
Then turn abruptly, slip, crash
on the ground and, rising,
hasten on across the ice lest
it cracks up.
We feel the chill north winds
coarse through the home despite
the locked and bolted doors-
This is winter, which nonetheless
brings its own delights.