Vivaldi was born in 1678. The most beautiful music was composed during Baroque, you know. That's why I'm throwing Beethoven into Baroque too.
To introduce, a short info taken from the Deutsche Grammophon website:
Vivaldi's influence on the development of Baroque music was immense. He ignited transformations in music for the church, the opera house and the concert hall. But his most important achievement was in his music for strings. He introduced a range of new styles and techniques to string playing and consolidated one of its most important genres, the concerto. Vivaldi's concertos became a model for his contemporaries, and the form was soon one of the most important in eighteenth century Europe.Vivaldi played the violin from an early age, probably taking lessons with his father. He trained for the priesthood and was ordained in 1703. His red hair earned him the nickname 'il prete rosso' (the red priest). In the same year as his ordination, he was appointed to the Ospedale della Pietà, a Venetian convent for orphaned or illegitimate girls. He taught the violin there, organised services with music, composed and gave concerts. Publications of his works began appearing in 1705: trio sonatas, violin sonatas and concerto sets. Prior to these, he had disseminated a number of concertos in manuscript form. He also wrote two oratorios for the Pietà, the most significant being Juditha triumphans (1716).
L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3 [Accademia Bizantina]
La Stravaganza, 12 Violin concertos Op. 4. One of my favorite pieces of Vivaldi. If not THE most favorite.
Stabat Mater RV. 621
Concerto in do magg per mandolino, archi e cembalo RV 425 Il Giardino Armonico. Wonderful version.
And of course - The Four Seasons - by Budapest Strings. Summer rocks!
Enjoy!
