Nymphs dance a graceful gigue through the finale as the sun emerges from behind the clouds. Accordingly, "Spring," in the bright key of E major, celebrates the sounds of "joyful bird song," briefly interrupted as "gentle breezes give way to a passing storm." In the slow movement, a shepherd sleeps in the "pleasant flowering meadow," while a dog (the solo viola) barks. Vivaldi wrote an illustrative sonnet as a guide to each of the concertos. Their imagery - of birds in the spring, storms in summer, huntsmen in autumn and icy landscapes in winter - remains as vivid today as on the day the notes were penned. The concertos of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, published in 1725, demonstrate a wealth of effect using nothing more than string instruments. He wrote more than 500 concertos, which make up the bulk of his output, and the techniques he used to keep these works interesting and lively - deftly varying the texture and figuration, and favoring angular, energetic rhythms that packed extra punch - were adopted by composers all over the continent.
Known as the "red priest" because of his hair color and his membership in the clergy, Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was the most original and influential Italian composer of his generation.
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