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Orchestra Six Seasons program notes Feb. 2,3,4 - 2007 Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741) Winter and Spring from “The Four Seasons”, Op. 8 #1 & #4 Born in Venice on March 4th, 1678, Vivaldi was one of the most influential of the Baroque composers, and a pioneer in the composition of “program music” – that is, music written to depict a specific story of dramatic scene. Nicknamed “the Red Priest” for the color of his hair, he taught for most of his life in Venice’s Ospedale della Pietá, an “orphanage” that was in fact a home for the female offspring of noblemen and their numerous dalliances with their mistresses. The Ospedale was thus well endowed by the “anonymous” fathers; its furnishings bordered on the opulent, the young ladies were well looked-after, and the musical standards among the highest in Venice. Most of Vivaldi's concerti were intended for performance with his many talented pupils. He was also deeply involved with opera, both in composition and staging, mainly at Venice's Teatro Sant' Angelo. In 1725 the publication Il Cimento
dell' Armenia e dell'invenzione (“The Trial of Harmony and
Invention”), opus 8, appeared in Amsterdam. This consisted of twelve
concertos, seven of which were descriptive: The Four Seasons, Storm at
Sea, Pleasure and The Hunt. These works were enormously
successful throughout Europe and gave Vivaldi his first true international
success. Winter – Concerto in f-minor [Allegro non molto] Shivering,
frozen mid the frosty snow in biting, stinging winds; running to and fro
to stamp one's icy feet, teeth chattering in the bitter chill. Spring – Concerto in E Major [Allegro]Springtime is upon us.
The birds celebrate her return with festive song, and murmuring streams
are softly caressed by the breezes. Thunderstorms, those heralds of
Spring, roar, casting their dark mantle over heaven... Then they die away
to silence, and the birds take up their charming songs once more. Astor Piazzolla (1921 - 1992) Cuatro Estanciones Porteñas (Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) Arranged by Coco Trivisonno
Born in Argentina, Piazzolla and moved to New York City with his parents at the age of 4. His father bought him his first bandoneon (a South American version of the accordion, with buttons instead of keys) when Piazzolla was 8, for 19 dollars from a pawn shop. Early musical studies exposed him to jazz and the music of J. S. Bach. Moving back to Argentina at the age of 15, he played in tango orchestras, working his way quickly into one of the top bands in the country, led by bandoneon legend Anibal Troilo. At the recommendation of pianist Arthur Rubinstein, who was then living in Buenos Aires, he became the first composition student of Albert Ginastera. This in turn led to first prize in a national composition contest, and a grant to study in Paris with the legendary pedagogue Nadia Boulanger.
Returning to Argentina in 1955, he formed the first of his many touring and recording groups, the Octeto Buenos Aires. The tango-infused compositions that flowed from Piazzolla’s pen for the remainder of creative life have been dubbed “Tango Nuevo”, and created quite a stir in his native land. “Everything may change, except the tango!” was a popular local saying, and turned Piazzolla into a controversial figure in both musical and political circles. His music gained wide acceptance in Europe and North America, and was embraced by some liberal segments of Argentine society who were advocating political changes in parallel to Piazzolla’s musical revolution. Piazzolla’s composed over 1000 “Nuevo
Tango” pieces; classical and jazz artists such as Mtislav Rostropovitch
(for whom he composed “Grand Tango” in 1982), Yo Yo Ma, Gideon Kramer,
Emmanuel Ax, the Kronos Quartet, Al Di Meola, and the Assad Brothers have
performed and recorded Piazzolla’s music. Piazzolla was himself
the prime performer of own works during his lifetime, following the
tradition of composer/performer. His numerous recordings leading his
various ensembles – Quinteto Tango Nuevo, Buenos Aires Sextet, Conjunto
9, La Camorra, and others - remain one of I first became aware of Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires from Gidon Kremer’s brilliant 1998 recording “Eight Seasons”, which includes all four of Vivaldi’s Seasons as well. There are no sonnets to accompany these wonderful tango-infused works, but these brief and witty compositions paint vivid musical portraits of this bustling Argentine metropolis. San Francisco Chamber Orchestra fans
might remember Jorge “Coco” Trivisonno from his memorable appearances
with guitar virtuoso David Tanenbaum in January 2002, performing
Piazzolla’s Double Concerto for Guitar and Bandoneon. Coco
told me that he was working on an arrangement for string orchestra and
guitar on these Four Seasons of Buenos Aires… and five years
later, here we are! Program notes © Benjamin Simon, 2007
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seminal figure in his native Argentina, Astor Piazzolla’s “tango nuevo”
has swept the world and created tremendous interest in this art form.
Like American blues, tango is music of the “underclass”, born in the
brothels of Buenos Aires. Through the prism of Piazzolla’s genius,
blending influences of jazz, classical music, and other urban Latin forms,
this “tango nuevo” the emerged into concert halls, jazz clubs, and
recording studios around the world. The hit musical “Forever
Tango” and recent tango-inspired films have brought this dance and its
sexy, scintillating music to the forefront of international culture. 
“When
I met her, I showed her my kilos of symphonies and sonatas. She started to
read them and suddenly came out with a horrible sentence: ‘It's very
well written.’ And stopped, with a big period, round like a soccer ball.
After a long while, she said: “Here you are like Stravinsky, like Bartók,
like Ravel, but you know what happens? I can't find Piazzolla in this.”
And she began to investigate my private life: what I did, what I did and
did not play, if I was single, married, or living with someone, she was
like an FBI agent! And I was very ashamed to tell her that I was a tango
musician. Finally I said, “I play in a ‘night club.’” I didn't
want to say “cabaret.” And she answered, “Night club, mais oui, but
that is a cabaret, isn't it?” “Yes,” I answered, and thought,
“I'll hit this woman in the head with a radio....” It wasn't easy to
lie to her. She kept asking: “You say that you are not pianist. What
instrument do you play, then?” And I didn't want to tell her that I was
a bandoneon player, because I thought, “Then she will throw me from the
fourth floor.” Finally, I confessed and she asked me to play some bars
of a tango of my own. She suddenly opened her eyes, took my hand and told
me: “You idiot, that's Piazzolla!” And I took all the music I
composed, ten years of my life, and sent it to hell in two seconds.” 
his most important legacies.