麻豆约拍

As performer, composer, impresario, musical director, and teacher, Antonio Vivaldi was a key figure in the musical life of Baroque Italy. Thanks to his set of Concertos 鈥淭he Four Seasons鈥�, he remains one of the most famous and best loved composers today. This week, Donald Macleod puts these four celebrated concertos front and centre as he also explores the four seasons of Vivaldi鈥檚 own life, lingering a little in his summer. We'll follow him from the start of his musical story, teaching at the Ospedale della Piet脿 in Venice, through his time as an opera composer, catering to the crowds who swarmed to Venice during carnival season, to his successes away from Venice. Vivaldi had many highs in his career, however he also had some difficult low points, finding himself embroiled in scandal and accused of immoral behaviour, before dying in poverty in a foreign city 鈥� his star having fallen from favour.

Music Featured:

Violin Concerto in E major, Op 8 no. 1 RV 269 鈥淪pring鈥�
Credo, RV 591
L鈥檕racolo in Messenia 鈥� 鈥淪鈥檌n campo armato鈥�
La costanza trionfante de gl'amori e de gl'odii, RV 706
Ottone in villa, RV 729 鈥� 鈥淔rema pur, si lagni Roma鈥�
Farnace, RV 711 - 鈥淕elido in Omni鈥�
Armida - Act I Scene 13: 鈥淎rmata di furore鈥�
Concerto for Multiple Instruments, 'per l'orchestra di Dresda' in G minor, RV 576
Magnificat in G minor, RV 610b
Violin Concerto in G minor, Op 8 no. 2 RV 315 鈥淪ummer鈥�
Violin Concerto in F major, RV 293 Op.8 no 3 鈥淎utumn鈥�
Dorilla in Tempe, RV709 鈥� Act II, Scene 8: 鈥淎rsa da rai cocenti鈥�
Griselda, RV 718 鈥� 鈥淗o il cor gia lacero鈥�; 鈥淣o, non tanta crudelta鈥�; Terzetto 鈥淣on piu regina鈥�; 鈥淪on infelice tanto鈥�
Farnace, RV 711 鈥� 鈥淔orse, o caro, in questi accenti...鈥�
Lauda Jerusalem, RV609
Violin Concerto in F minor, RV 297 Op.8 no. 4 鈥淲inter鈥�

Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Sam Phillips

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Mel Bonis (1858 鈥� 1937) /programmes/m001h57j

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we鈥檝e featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z