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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Vivaldi sulle sei corde
Classical - Released by Columna Música on Apr 21, 2010
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The Masterworks of Antonio Vivaldi, Vol. 29
Classical - Released by Black Sheep Music on Jun 21, 2012
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Antonio Vivaldi. Four Seasons. Concertos for Violin and Orchestra, Op.8: Concerto No.1 in E Major, "Spring"
Chamber Orchestra of St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Lev Shinder
Chamber Music - Released by Bomba-Piter on Jul 9, 2012
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Vivaldi: Concerto for Strings in A Major, RV158
Chamber Music - Released by Bomba-Piter on Jul 9, 2012
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Antonio Vivaldi. Concerto for Two Mandolins in G Major RV532
Leningrad Chamber Orchestra, Conductor: Lazar Gosman
Classical - Released by Bomba-Piter on Jul 9, 2012
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Vivaldi: Flute Concerto in F Major, RV 434
Chamber Music - Released by Bomba-Piter on Jul 6, 2012
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Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in C Minor, RV 199 "Il Sospetto"
Classical - Released by Bomba-Piter on Jul 6, 2012
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Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in A Major, RV340
Chamber Orchestra of St. Petersburg Philharmonic
Classical - Released by Bomba-Piter on Jul 6, 2012
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Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in G Minor, Op. 6 No. 1, RV 324
Chamber Orchestra of St. Petersburg Philharmonia
Classical - Released by Bomba-Piter on Jul 6, 2012
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Ladies' Chamber Orchestra
LYDIA OSHAVKOVA, Ladies' Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Gega New on Feb 15, 2010
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The Greatest Classical Collection - Essential Classical Music Masterpieces
Classical - Released by Amathus Music on Feb 23, 2010
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Vivaldi - Concerti Per Archi
I Virtuosi dell'Ensemble di Venezia
Classical - Released by Classic art on Feb 1, 2000
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Chill To The Music Of Antonio Vivaldi
Classical - Released by Only Between Us Records on Jun 9, 2017
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The Definitive Collection Of Antonio Vivaldi
Pop - Released by Only Between Us Records on Jun 9, 2017
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Classical Hall: Antonio Vivaldi
Pop - Released by Only Between Us Records on May 5, 2017
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Heavenly Classics Antonio Vivaldi
Pop - Released by Only Between Us Records on Apr 14, 2017
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Naturally Classical Antonio Vivaldi
Pop - Released by Only Between Us Records on Apr 7, 2017
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Absolutely Magnificent Antonio Vivaldi
Pop - Released by Only Between Us Records on Mar 17, 2017
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Classically Beautiful Antonio Vivaldi
Classical - Released by Only Between Us Records on Mar 24, 2017
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A Touch Of Class With Antonio Vivaldi
Classical - Released by Only Between Us Records on Jan 20, 2017
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Antonio Vivaldi: Concertos
Classical - Released by Only Between Us Records on Dec 16, 2016
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