Vivaldi meant for this section to move (“presto,” after all, is a very quick tempo marking), and the fast clip of this version featuring violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter plays up the music’s stormy drama.Īn array of instrumentalists- from cellists to flutists-have stepped in place of the original violin. The Heavens thunder and roar and with hailĬut the head off the wheat and damages the grain. The North Wind sweeps them suddenly aside.Īs gnats and flies buzz furiously around. Soft breezes stir the air, but threatening Then sweet songs of the turtledove and finch are heard. Languishes man, languishes the flock and burns the pine The third stanza in particular corresponds with this movement. Each was paired with a sonnet that may have also been written by the composer. Vivaldi, who was himself a violinist, penned his collection of concertos known as The Four Seasons around 1716. As summer approaches, here is a collection of such performances, beginning with the composer’s original. Musicians have performed this movement of Vivaldi’s concerto in various arrangements, in turn evoking with it a variety of moods. Sciamma isn’t the first to explore Vivaldi’s versatility.

Vivaldi’s music is at once heartbreaking sad, nostalgic, cathartic, resilient, angry, and filled with gratitude.Īdèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant in Portrait of A Lady On Fire Lilies Films Whereas traditional film scores give audiences specific emotional cues, Vivaldi’s concerto and actress Adèle Haenel’s performance provide audiences the opportunity to map a wide range of emotions onto the final scene. While both carry tremendous emotional power, the final scene of the film- set to the Presto of Vivaldi’s “Summer” Concerto in G minor- is a brilliant sonic choice that showcases the versatility of Vivaldi’s music. Two major musical moments interrupt the film’s relative silence. A queer love story, Portrait (which is now streaming on Hulu) is essentially devoid of music, placing an extra emphasis on the sounds of the world Sciamma creates: the strokes of a paintbrush, windswept sea cliffs, the silence of longing glances between two lovers. Days before the pandemic closed movie theaters across the country, The Belcourt featured Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of A Lady on Fire, a historical drama set on an isolated French island during the 18th century.

Vivaldi summer presto violin