Antonio Vivaldi composed 'The Four Seasons' for the girls at an orphanage in Venice, where he taught music for 22 years.
Winter in Venice Photo: Pixabay
The concertos were presented to the Conservatorio della Pietà, a Venetian orphanage for girls, in 1725.
In fact, it was the last work Vivaldi composed for the Pietà, ending a 22 year association.
Each concerto takes its mood from one of four anonymous sonnets (possibly Vivaldi’s own) that were inspired by painter Marco Ricci's paintings of the seasons.
To create images such as the icy winds of 'Winter' requires a particularly brilliant type of solo violin virtuosity.
Angelo Xiang Yu is privileged to play a 1729 Stradivarius violin that dates from the same era as Vivaldi himself.
Angelo Xiang Yu Photo: Kate Lemmon
Recorded by RNZ Concert, 12 May 2018, at Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington.
Producer: Roger Smith
Engineer: Darryl Stack
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