Vivaldi's most well known work, written around 1720, "The Four Seasons" is composed of 4 violin concertos, each one with 3 movements representing a different season of the year. To help us understand his work, Vivaldi included a series of poems describing each season's events. The association between music and narration, with each poetic line translated into music, was an ingenious approach to composition for that period and an astonishing and very difficult work which helps us imagine the scenes and create a seasonal mood. Although written almost 300 years ago, this innovative and creative music achievement still feels very contemporary with its beautiful images and dynamic sounds and is one of the most sensational pieces of music.
The opening movement of the "Winter Concerto" imitates a person shivering in the cold, stamping his feet and feeling his teeth chatter, expressed by the fast thrill of the violins. In the first violin solo, we listen a blast of wind that shakes the fall of the snowflakes. In the second movement, the melody conveys the feeling of happiness and the serenity whilst being next to a crackling fire and listening to the rhythmical falling of the rain, imitated by the violins plucking the strings. The final movement is all about capturing scenes of people walking outdoors, walking down icy paths while the orchestra imitates a smooth burst of wind gradually increasing to become a terrible winter storm, finishing in a beautiful ending to illustrate the last line of the poem "This is winter but it brings joy". To see the original poem, and better visualise this composition, follow the link: https://www.charlottesymphony.org/blog/vivaldis-four-seasons-poems/