Ravinia 2024 Issue 4

A gentle breeze blows, But suddenly the North Wind is roused To tussle with his neighbor. The shepherd boy weeps, Fearing the approaching storm. II. Adagio Trying to rest his tired limbs on the hillside, The shepherd boy is disturbed By ominous lightning and thunder And by swarms of flies and wasps. III. Presto Alas, his fears come true: Thunder, lightning, and hailstones Rain down from the heavens. The hail cuts down the tall ears of grain. L’Autunno – Autumn The first movement concerns the cheerful gather- ings of peasants celebrating the harvest—includ- ing a fair amount of drinking. We meet an intox- icated farmer who staggers merrily. The farmers get progressively more tipsy until they fall asleep toward the end of the first movement. In the sec- ond movement, the dreams of the slumbering farmers ebb and flow. Vivaldi indicates that the harpsichord should play continuous arpeggios. In the third movement, we are invited to join a hunting party, complete with galloping rhythms and horn-calls. Animal lovers, be warned: this movement includes gun-shots and the squeals of a desperate animal. The poor creature finally gives up his spirit in a lightly floating violin ar- peggio, immediately followed by the return of the jolly hunting theme. I. Allegro The peasants celebrate the joy of the harvest With dancing and singing, Full of the liquor of Bacchus. Their merrymaking leads to sleep. II. Adagio molto Tired from the festivities, Many find their pleasure in a sweet sleep, Enjoying the mild, fresh air of the season. III. Allegro The hunters set out at dawn, off to the hunt. With horns, guns and dogs they frighten the fox, Who flees for his life. They are close on its trail. Already terrified and wearied by the great noise, The wounded beast tries feebly to escape, But finally gives up its spirit. L’Inverno – Winter With static repeated notes in the strings, we be- gin stiff with cold. Then the howling wind arises together with the famous chattering teeth (vio- lins playing staccato repeated notes, very high and fast). In the second movement we experi- ence a more typical Venetian winter: drizzling rain on the rooftop, brought to life by pizzicato violins. The third movement begins with slipping and sliding on the ice, and suddenly the orchestra interrupts with jagged intervals, signaling that the ice has broken right in front of us. A quick series of descending arpeggios in the violin con- veys attempts to get up from the ice and walk, with plenty of stumbling. A brief gentle spring breeze arrives in the upper strings, soon inter- rupted with the return of the fierce North Wind. I. Allegro non molto Frozen and shivering in the icy snow, Battered by terrible wind, Running and stamping one’s feet, With chattering teeth – this is winter. II. Largo What pleasure, to sit peacefully by the fire While the rain pours down outside. III. Allegro To walk on the ice with cautious steps, Treading carefully for fear of falling, To go in haste, slide, and fall down to the ground, Getting up again to run on the ice, Before it cracks and opens, To hear the winds, Sirocco and Boreas, In furious battle above — This is winter, but it brings joy. While Vivaldi was composing storms and tem- pests in Italy, his slightly older colleague Marin Marais (c.1656–1728) wrote a bold tempest scene in France. Marais’s opera Alcione pre- miered in 1706 in Paris and is admired today for its inventive orchestral writing. The graceful Chaconne harks back to the influence of Marais’s teacher, Jean-Baptiste Lully. The Act IV tempest scene is one of the earliest portrayals of a storm in opera. The Marche des Matelots (Sailor’s March) from Act III draws its tune from an ancient French carol, known today most widely as “Masters in This Hall.” Marin Marais by André Bouys (1704) The composer Evaristo Felice Dall’Abaco (1675–1742) takes an interesting place in to- day’s program of Italian and French music. He was born in Italy—the son of a renowned gui- tarist—but spent time in France. His Concerto à piu istrumenti (concerto for multiple instruments) beautifully blends the French and Italian styles. The piece begins with an Italian concerto-style opening movement, but concludes with a lively pair of Passepieds (a French dance). Dall’Abaco’s use of traversos in this piece provides fun possibilities for “call and response” with the orchestra. –Program notes © 2024 Jeannette Sorrell Evaristo Felice Dall’Abaco Apollo’s Fire CDs, including The Four Seasons , are available for purchase at intermission and after the concert at the merch stand in the Martin Theatre plaza. The artists will be signing CDs following the performance. Catch Apollo’s Fire in their 2024–25 Chicago Season! In downtown Chicago and in Evanston October 25 & 26 Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 2, 3, 4 & 6 December 8 – at Ravinia! WASSAIL! An Irish-American Christmas December 15 & 16 Handel’s Messiah February 13 & 14 Vivaldi in Love: Double Concertos of Fire & Romance April 11 & 12 J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor Tickets and info: apollosfire.org• 800-314-2535 RAVINIAMAGAZINE • AUGUST 5 – AUGUST 18, 2024 84