Vivaldi - The Four Seasons [UPDATED]

When I was little I loved looking through my parents' collection of vinyl LPs. The feeling of selecting an album from the red wire storage rack,  studying the picture and writing on the front, turning the sleeve over to read the details on the reverse.  And finally removing the black disc from it's paper sleeve, being sure to hold it delicately at the edges by my fingertips (as my dad was at pains to instruct me) while gently placing it on the turntable...

Almost all the LPs in the collection were of either classical music or Christian music.   The very first album I can remember from this was a recording of Antonio Vivaldi's four concertos for violin and strings,  known as 'The Four Seasons'.

The concertos were first published in 1725 as part of a set of twelve concerti, Vivaldi's Opus 8, entitled Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione (The Contest Between Harmony and Invention). 

The four concertos were written to accompany four sonnets. Though it's not known who wrote these sonnets, there's a theory that Vivaldi wrote them himself, given that each sonnet is broken down into three sections, neatly corresponding to a movement in the concerto. 

In addition to these sonnets, Vivaldi provided instructions in the written score, 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"). 

It's one of the most recorded pieces of music in the world (around 1,000 different recordings by 2011),  but the version I grew up with was recorded by violinist Kenneth Sillito with The Virtuosi of England conducted by Arthur Davison.  It was released in 1973 on the Classics For Pleasure label.

Just look at the cover! - I remember being impressed by the florid, whirling writing style, and particular fascinated by the clever image of the English countryside, progressing through all four seasons from the foreground to the horizon.

Sadly I can find no information about the Virtuosi of England, but what a name for an ensemble - rather like ' The Best of the Best', or 'The Cream of the Crop' of England's musicians. 

The recording is excellent and very clear for its age...  there's nothing fancy here (it's not Nigel Kennedy!) but the playing is first class and the soloist gives a fine, clean reading of these familiar works.  So if you have never heard these concertos, or would like to add another to your collection this is definitely one to get!

After leaving home to work in Scotland at the age of 20 I more or less forgot about this much loved recording,  until I happened to come across it on Amazon on a re-release with a couple of Vivaldi's oboe concertos.  I bought and downloaded the mp3 version and it's been great to get to know this version all over again! 

I mentioned there are over 1,000 recordings of these concertos - I own two others, one with Salvatore Accardo on violin with an orchestra of Stradivarius instruments, and the other in a special arrangement for an group consisting of violin, oboe, flute, viol, cello and harpsichord, all part of the ensemble American Baroque.

checkout Amazon.co.uk for this recording

UPDATE 21/07/13
I received the following email this morning from Kenneth Sillito, in response to an enquiry I sent him via his website asking for more deails about the 'Virtuosi of England':

"Hello Paul,
Many thanks for your kind thoughts re. my Seasons!

The band were set up by John Boyden for his brainchild Classics for Pleasure.

The players included Hugh Bean, Hans Geiger, Brendon O'Reilly (violins), Alex Taylor & Ian Jewel(viola) Keith Harvey (Cello) and Leslie Pearson(harpsichord) among others quite a small band recorded in Conway Hall, South Place [London].

In the days of tape it was edited with a razor blade!! The fiddle I am playing is the Rutson Strad 1694 which I was lucky to have on loan from the Royal Academy of Music 1970 to 1980.

With Best Wishes,

Kenneth Sillito."