II. Largo & III. Allegro : Concerto in F Minor, “Winter”, Op. 8 No. 4 by Antonio Vivaldi, RV297

Concerto in F Minor, “L'inverno” (Winter), Op. 8 No. 4 by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) RV 297.
I. Allegro non molto (not in this video)
II. Largo 0:00
III. Allegro - Lento - Allegro 2:02
Vivaldi turns to the dark, desolate key of F minor for Winter. Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons are the first in a collection of twelve concertos published in 1725 as his Op. 8, Il cimento dell’ armonia e dell’ inventione (‘The contest between harmony and invention’). With The Four Seasons, there is a very close connection between words and music. Vivaldi himself is believed to have written four sonnets that preface the score. Alphabetical cue letters alongside each Sonetto dimostrativo are reproduced in the music to make the connection clear. When the time came for the music to be printed, Vivaldi made the connection even more obvious by printing lines of the sonnet alongside specific musical phrases.
L'Inverno (Winter)
Opus 8, No. 4, in F minor
I. Allegro non molto-
Agghiacciato tremar trà nevi algenti
Al Severo Spirar d' orrido Vento,
Correr battendo i piedi ogni momento;
E pel Soverchio gel batter i denti;
II. Largo--
Passar al foco i di quieti e contenti
Mentre la pioggia fuor bagna ben cento
III. Allegro--
Caminar Sopra il giaccio, e à passo lento
Per timor di cader girsene intenti;
Gir forte Sdruzziolar, cader à terra
Di nuove ir Sopra 'l giaccio e correr forte
Sin ch' il giaccio si rompe, e si disserra;
Sentir uscir dalle ferrate porte
Sirocco, Borea, e tutti i Venti in guerra
Quest' é 'l verno, mà tal, che gioja apporte.
I. Allegro non molto-
To tremble from cold in the icy snows,
at the harsh wind’s chill breath;
to run, stamping one’s feet at every moment;
our teeth chattering in the extreme cold.
II. Largo--
Passing the days of calm and contentment by the
fire,
while the rain outside drenches a hundred others.
III. Allegro--
We walk on the ice with slow steps,
And tread carefully, for fear of falling.
If we go quickly, we slip and fall to the ground.
Again we run on the ice,
until the ice cracks and breaks open
We hear from behind the closed iron-clad gates,
Sirocco, Boreas, and all the winds at war.
This is winter, but of a kind that brings joy.
December 13, 2018