Winter in Spring

Christopher Hogwood

In memory of Winter’s coming and going, I am posting Antonio Vivaldi’s “Winter,” the fourth concerto from his famous work The Four Seasons (or Le Quattro Stagioni in Italian). The pieces I am posting are performed by Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music.

The Academy of Ancient Music

What can I say about The Four Seasons? It’s classic material. Almost everybody has at least heard of it or at least knows the tune to the first movement from “Spring.” And I realize that all performers approach compositions with their own unique perspective, so you’ll hear many different versions of the same piece that sound slightly different from each other.

I will be first to admit that I’m not connoisseur of classical music, so I’m not really good at comparing one performance to another. But I do know that Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music play The Four Seasons with a very clear sense of life and vivacity. And each season has its own distinct personality. When you listen to “Winter” you can feel the cold of the blowing wind as you see a flurry of snowflakes accumalating on the shores of a frozen lake. “Winter” evokes the quiet gentility of the season while giving you a sense of the blistering cold at the same time, especially in the first movement. I accredit this to the combination of the stellar performance given by the Academy of Ancient Music with Vivaldi’s legendary compositional skills.

Buy Antonio Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni as performed by Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music

Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music – Concerto No. 4, “Winter” I. Allegro Non Molto

Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music – Concerto No. 4, “Winter” II. Largo

Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music – Concerto No. 4, “Winter” III. Allegro