Antonio Vivaldi
The creator of hundreds of spirited, extroverted instrumental works, Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi is widely recognized as the master of the Baroque instrumental concerto, which he perfected and popularized more than any of his contemporaries. Vivaldi's kinetic rhythms, fluid melodies, bright instrumental effects, and extensions of instrumental technique make his some of the most enjoyable of Baroque music. He was highly influential among his contemporaries and successors: even as esteemed a figure as Johann Sebastian Bach adapted some of Vivaldi's music. Vivaldi's variable textures and dramatic effects initiated the shift toward what became the Classical style; a deeper understanding of his music begins with the realization that, compared with Bach and even Handel, he was Baroque music's arch progressive. Though not as familiar as his concerti, Vivaldi's stage and choral music is still of value; his sometimes bouncy, sometimes lyrical Gloria in D major (1708) has remained a perennial favorite. His operas were widely performed in his own time.
Details regarding Vivaldi's early life are few. His father was a violinist in the Cathedral of Venice's orchestra and probably Antonio's first teacher. There is much speculation about other teachers, such as Corelli, but no evidence to support this. Vivaldi studied for the priesthood as a young man and was ordained in 1703. He was known for much of his career as "il prete rosso" (the red-haired priest), but soon after his ordination he declined to take on his ecclesiastical duties. Later in life he cited ill health as the reason, but other motivations have been proposed; perhaps Vivaldi simply wanted to explore new opportunities as a composer. It didn't take him long. Landing a job as a violin teacher at a girls' orphanage in Venice (where he would work in one capacity or another during several stretches of his life), he published a set of trio sonatas and another of violin sonatas. Word of his abilities spread throughout Europe, and in 1711 an Amsterdam publisher brought out a set of Vivaldi's concertos for one or more violins with orchestra under the title L'estro armonico (Harmonic Inspiration). These were best-sellers (it was this group of concertos that spurred Bach's transcriptions), and Vivaldi followed them up with several more equally successful concerto sets. Perhaps the most prolific of all the great European composers, he once boasted that he could compose a concerto faster than a copyist could ready the individual parts for the players in the orchestra. He began to compose operas, worked from 1718 to 1720 in the court of the German principality of Hessen-Darmstadt, and traveled in Austria and perhaps Bohemia. Throughout his career, he had his choice of commissions from nobility and the highest members of society, the ability to use the best performers, and enough business savvy to try to control the publication of his works, although due to his popularity, many were published without his consent. Later in life Vivaldi was plagued by rumors of a sexual liaison with one of his vocal students, and he was censured by ecclesiastical authorities. His Italian career on the rocks, he headed for Vienna. He died there and was buried as a pauper in 1741, although at the height of his career his publications had earned a comfortable living.
© Rovi Staff /TiVo
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The Power of Vivaldi
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 26 Sep 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Masters - Vivaldi
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 11 Jun 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi - L'estro Armonico
Classical - Released by Piros Comercial Digital on 14 Apr 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: Cantate à Alto solo con stromenti
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Stilnovo on 16 May 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Springtime Symphonies: Bach, Puccini, Vivaldi
Johann Sebastian Bach, Giacomo Puccini, Antonio Vivaldi
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 9 Apr 2024
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Vivaldi in our Heads
Antonio Vivaldi, Duo Kondens, Per Egland, Rosanna Gunnarsson
Classical - Released by EUROPEAN GRAMOPHONE on 27 Sep 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi For The Road
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 3 Feb 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: Concertos from "L'estro armonico"
Chamber Ensemble Soloists of Saint Petersburg
Classical - Released by Bomba-Piter (Manchester) on 1 Jan 1999
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Happiness: Classic Care - Music for Healthy Living for Happy Thoughts & Optimism
Classical - Released by Cobra Entertainment LLC on 28 Apr 2015
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The Four Seasons and Selections from L’Estro Armonico
Chamber Orchestra of St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Mikhail Vaiman, Chamber Ensemble Soloists of St. Petersburg
Classical - Released by Premium Essentials Records on 21 Mar 2012
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Vivaldi - Summer Chill-out
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 12 Jun 2021
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Relaxed Thanksgiving with Vivaldi
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 21 Nov 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi - Moods
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 10 Aug 2020
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The Art of Vivaldi
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 6 Aug 2020
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Concerto No. 4, Op. 8, RV 297, 'L'inverno' (Winter)
Classical - Released by Audiofonic Records on 21 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Relaxed Holidays with Vivaldi
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 5 Dec 2020
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Vivaldi: Study Classics
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 21 Oct 2022
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The Four Seasons And Other Concerts (Alternate Mix)
Classical - Released by YOYO USA, Inc. on 1 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Interpreta Vivaldi
Chamber Music - Released by RHI on 2 Jan 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi - Tartini - Richter - Pergolesi - Telemann: Flute Concertos
Slovak Chamber Orchestra, Jiri Stivin, Milan Jurkovic
Classical - Released by Int - Bertus on 6 Oct 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo