Ravinia 2024 Issue 4

STORMS, TEMPESTS, AND REVOLUTIONARY MUSIC For 300 years, the portrayal of storms and tem- pests has inspired composers to some of their most imaginative orchestral writing. From the famous hailstorm in Vivaldi’s “Summer” Con- certo, to the tempest scenes of French baroque operas, where “wind machines” added to the fray, composers loved to prove that music has the power to convey intense drama and evoke the powers of Mother Nature. Our program brings together three composers who broke new ground as they put the orchestra in the service of storytelling. A Revolutionary Experiment One day when Vivaldi (the Redhead Priest) was saying Mass, a musical theme came into his mind. He at once left the altar where he was officiating and went to the sacristy to write out his theme, then he came back to finish the Mass. He was reported to the Inquisition, which luckily looked on him as a musician, that is, AS A MADMAN, and merely forbade him to say Mass from that time forward. –P. L. de Boisgelou, 1800 In 1725, Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) pub- lished a collection of 12 concertos titled Il Ci- mento dell’Armonia e dell’Inventione ( The Con- test Between Harmony and Invention ). With this curious title, he unleashed a revolutionary question: should music simply be about harmo- ny, or could it serve to illustrate inventive ideas, events, moods, natural scenes, and so forth? Vivaldi set out to prove that it could do both. The first four concertos of the collection, titled Le Quattro Stagioni ( The Four Seasons ) , are virtuoso demonstrations of music in the service of storytelling—in this case, the story of Nature and her various moods. Anonymous portrait of Antonio Vivaldi (1723) The role of the performer as an animated story- teller was fundamental to Baroque performance, and especially to Vivaldi’s music. Though Vival- di had written music in imitation of Nature be- fore, he took the art to new heights this time, supplying sonnets to clarify the meaning of the music. Scholars generally believe that the son- nets were composed by Vivaldi himself, as they do not seem to be the work of a trained poet. In the first publication (1725 in Amsterdam), the lines of the sonnets are labeled A, B, C, D, E, etc. These letters are also placed at the correspond- ing points in the score, so that the performer can understand which lines of poetry correspond to which passages in the music. However, Vivaldi also provided many more specific indications directly in the score, telling the performer exact- ly what each phrase is depicting. This level of detail is often lost today’s performances. Vivaldi was also the great developer of ritornel- lo form—the form that became the model for concerto-writing by all European composers of the century, including J.S. Bach. The Italian word “ritornello” means something that returns. The same word is used to mean the refrain in popu- lar songwriting—and indeed, Vivaldi’s ritornellos convey the bold and driving sense of rhythm and melody that is commonly associated with pop music. Like many pop music composers today, he was writing for teenagers as well as adults, so he imbued his concertos with the same sense of driving rhythm and earthy harmonies that we all respond to in rock music. I think of him as the rock-and-roll composer of the 18th century. Here follows a description of Vivaldi’s story, as told through specific indications in the score, and the sonnets that accompanied Vivaldi’s pub- lication of The Four Seasons . Ospedale della Pietà, a religious orphanage in Venice with an extraordinary focus on music, where Vivaldi wrote many of his works for the ensembles comprising the orphan girls in residence La Primavera – Spring In the first movement, a joyful chirping theme tells us that spring has come. A trio of birds (solo violins) sings in canon, and then flies away. The little brook that was frozen all winter now bab- bles merrily. A brief spring shower with thunder and lightning does not disturb the joyful mood. In the second movement, we meet the shepherd boy (solo violin), who naps peacefully on a hill- side while watched by his famous “barking dog” (the insistent violas). The third movement is a delightful peasant dance using a drone in the bass to suggest the musettes or bagpipes associ- ated with outdoor festivities. I. Allegro Spring has arrived with joy, Welcomed by the birds with happy songs. The brooks, amidst gentle breezes, Murmur sweetly as they flow. The sky is caped in black, As thunder and lightning bring a brief storm. When they fall silent, the birds Take up again their delightful songs again. II. Largo e pianissimo sempre In the pleasant, blossom-filled meadow, To the gentle murmur of leaves and plants, The shepherd sleeps, his faithful dog beside him. III. Allegro To the merry sounds of a rustic bagpipe, Nymphs and shepherds dance in their beloved grove When Spring appears in splendor. L’Estate – Summer The first movement is a brilliant evocation of hot summer days in Italy. The opening two- note sighing figure evokes the peasants wilting in the heat. A lively cuckoo springs into action, followed by a gentle turtledove. A chilly North Wind hints of an approaching storm. Our shep- herd boy fears the storm, and we sense his anx- iety in some tearful music. In the slow move- ment, the shepherd boy tries to take another siesta, but this time is tormented by buzzing flies and wasps. His frayed nerves are not helped by the intermittent rumbling thunder, growing louder as the storm approaches. The third movement is a stunning depiction of a thunderstorm. Anyone who has been in Italy during a summer storm will appreciate how the torrent of cascading violin scales evokes the del- uge that comes when the clouds burst. I. Allegro non molto Under the merciless sun, Men and their flocks languish While the pine trees burn. The cuckoo begins to sing. At once, the turtledove and goldfinch reply. RAVINIA.ORG  • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 83