The Three Seasons of Antonio Vivaldi

Vivaldi’s “Three” Seasons—surely a misprint? But no, this is an inspired bit of musical biography in which 18 of Vivaldi’s violin concertos are used to illustrate the three “Seasons” of his career: early, middle, and late. The architect, violinist Giuliano Carmignola begins “Spring” with Concerto RV 343—moulded to the technique of its dedicatee, Vivaldi’s pupil Anna Maria—which he revives with youthful sparkle and an entrancing, improvisational fantasia. Concerto RV 289, a premiere recording, marks the highpoint of Vivaldi’s “Summer,” starting like well-behaved Bach but, in Carmignola’s hands, soon surrendering to shameless virtuosity, not least in a 32-note phrase of flying staccato. The rich, burnished tone of Carmignola’s Guarneri violin (1733) has the perfect character for the “Autumn” of Vivaldi’s career which, in Concerto RV 201, foreshadows the powerful “Sturm und Drang” (“storm and stress”) style of the early Classical period.