Vivaldi - A Rough Guide

   "Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741), nicknamed il Prete Rosso ("The Red Priest")
   because of his auburn hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and
   virtuoso violinist, born in Venice.  Vivaldi is recognized as one of the
   greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was
   widespread over Europe.  Vivaldi is known mainly for composing instru-
   mental concertos, especially for the violin, as well as sacred choral
   works and over 40 operas.  His best known work is a series of violin
   concertos known as The Four Seasons."

   See Wikipedia for more on the life and music of Vivaldi:
     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Vivaldi>

   The links in the guide below are to YouTube movies.  For brevity, I've
   only included one movement for each of the pieces.  Apologies in
   advance for any annoying ads :(  Ad-blocking options are available for
   most browsers ;)
     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_blocking>

   If the links are blocked, you can try listening to the pieces via
   Wikipedia or elsewhere, e.g.
     <http://www.last.fm/music/antonio+vivaldi>

   The "rough guide" ...

   1. Lute Concerto in D, RV 93: II. Largo
     <http://splicd.com/D5twHP_johQ/0/309>
   This arrangement for guitar, performed by Eduardo Fernandez with the
   English Chamber Orchestra, is the first version of RV 93 I heard.  I
   couldn't believe this was composed by Vivaldi, almost 300 years ago!
   I know this is a rearrangement rather than the original lute, and the
   tempo is slower, but the underlying melody is sublime and timeless.  It
   got me started chasing up more compositions for lute and mandolin by
   Vivaldi, some of which will feature later in this guide.  BTW the handy
   Splicd service is used to specify an end time for the clip, so only one
   movement plays.

   2. Violin Concerto in E, RV 269, "La primavera" (Spring): I. Allegro
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypBRrZt1Lqg>
   The Four Seasons ("Le quattro stagioni") is a set of four violin
   concertos. As you can probably guess, each season has a concerto, with
   three movements per concerto.  An interesting exercise is to listen to
   each "season" and try to associate the music to the time of year.  A
   set of sonnets accompany the concertos, so if you want to cheat, visit:
     <http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Four_Seasons_Sonnets>
   Spring kicks off the Seasons, with its upbeat, festive first movement.
   The conductor of this performance is Riccardo Muti.

   3. Violin Concerto in G Minor, RV 315, "L'estate" (Summer): III. Presto
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N00XKtROddc>
   Often nicknamed "The Storm", the sonnet for this dynamic third movement
   of "Summer" is: "The Heavens thunders and roar and majestically.  Cuts
   the head off the wheat and damages the grain."  Unfortunately there are
   no details on the performers in this clip.  At least the visuals are
   stunning.

   4. Violin Concerto in F, RV 293, "L'autunno" (Autumn): I. Allegro
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fOrGCZM38I>
   With the late summer storm is over, it's time to celebrate the harvest.
   This version of the first movement of "Autumn" features "unconventional"
   violinist, Nigel Kennedy.

   5. Violin Concerto in F Minor, RV 297, "L'inverno" (Winter): II. Largo
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dggfA9Vo64U>
   The beautiful second movement of "Winter" is accompanied by the sonnet:
   "Spending quiet contented days by the fire while the rain outside
   drenches people by the hundreds."  This performance is by Itzhak Perlman
   with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

   6. Trio Sonata in C, RV 82: III. Allegro
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxXKofQHzEg>
   The popularity of the lute was declining when Vivaldi started composing,
   but fortunately he did produce a handful of pieces for this predecessor
   to the guitar.  Performed by Rolf Lislevand with the Kapsberger
   Ensemble.

   7. Trio Sonata G Minor, RV 85: I. Andante molto
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXwZi3btQTQ>
   Another early piece featuring the lute, also performed by Rolf Lislevand
   with the Kapsberger Ensemble.

   8. Mandolin Concerto in C, RV 425: I. Allegro
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StNAG4gCIxY#t=20>
   Towards the middle of his career, Vivaldi wrote a few more pieces for
   the mandolin, another precursor to the guitar.  This performance is by
   Detlef Tewes on mandolin with the orchestra of Ettlingen.

   9. Concerto for Two Mandolins in G, RV 532: II. Andante
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47KEpWLBAjk>
   A modern, slower arrangement for two guitars, performed by Duo La Barre
   with a string quartet.
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=302UBVz0wWc>
   For comparison, here's a closer-to-the-original arrangement for two
   lutes and orchestra, performed by Fabio Biondi with Europa Galante.

   10. Violin Concerto in E, RV 271, "L'amoroso": I. Allegro
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfND02F5o-Q>
   Vivaldi was primarily a violinist, so I should include at least one more
   violin concerto.  Here's a favourite, with a clip that features some
   historical paintings and more recent photos of Venice.  I can't verify
   the performers, but this sounds like the version I have by i Musici.

   11. Concerto per l'Orchestra di Dresda in G Minor, RV 577: III. Allegro
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU4Ygy6S9Lo>
   This is a piece for multiple instruments, performed by the Taverner
   Players conducted by Andrew Parrott.

   12. Bassoon Concerto in B-Flat, RV 502: II. Largo
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGQT-Dtl1m8>
   Another Vivaldi highlight.  Performed by the London Chamber Orchestra,
   lead by Christopher Warren-Green.

   Vivaldi began writing operas late in his career.  Since I'm not an opera
   fan, I'll leave it to you to follow up if you're interested.  He also
   wrote several religious pieces: only fitting since he was also a priest.

   Encore: Lute Concerto in D, RV 93: I to III
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBJ8BmFPt3U>
   To finish up, I want to return to probably my favourite Vivaldi
   composition, all three movements presented in full.  This version was
   recorded at the Royal Alcazar Palace, Seville in Spain, featuring
   Australian-born classical guitarist John Williams.

Mini-Reviews of Books Read, January 2011

   Mini-reviews of books I read last month.  In some ways it was a month of
   manifestos, with a Murakami novel thrown into the mix...


   1. "You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto" by Jaron Lanier
     <http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Not-Gadget/dp/0307389979>

   This attack on the state of the Web was written by a bohemian pioneer of
   virtual reality technology in the 1980s.  He's also a composer, visual
   artist, and author.  He isn't anti-Web, just opposed to the way many
   sites and technologies try to commoditise us.  He believes the internet
   should be a place where individuals can flourish, and not a tarpit of
   mediocrity that it has become: Web 2.0 or the social web is dominated
   by trolling, trivialisation, low quality content and outright lies.
   There are damning critiques of Google, Wikipedia, Facebook and Twitter,
   among others.  I have to say I agree with many of his points.  He
   concludes the manifesto with proposals for an alternative model for
   technology and the Web.

   In an age where some multinational corporations try to con(vince) us
   that they are paragons of openness and freedom, this book is a timely
   reminder that all is not what it seems.  The book's website:
     <http://www.jaronlanier.com/gadgetwebresources.html>

   BTW when I saw the book at the library, its title reminded me of this
   interesting observation:
   "If you are not paying for it, you're not the customer; you're the
    product being sold."
     <http://www.metafilter.com/95152/Userdriven-discontent>
   While this was in response to criticism of social news site Digg's
   redesign, it has general application, for example to companies that
   provide "free" stuff so that they can sell your eyeballs to the highest
   bidder, er, advertiser.  "Beware of geeks bearing gifts".


   2. "The Cult of the Amateur" by Andrew Keen
     <http://www.amazon.com/Cult-Amateur/dp/0385520816>

   This book has similar themes ands criticisms to Lanier's, but frames the
   arguments more from an economic than a philosophical perspective.  Keen
   argues that the "wisdom of the crowd" in the form of amateur bloggers,
   musicians and moviemakers doesn't always result in quality.  The book's
   provocative subtitle is "How Today's Internet is Killing Our Culture and
   Assaulting Our Economy".  Quality content takes time and money to make,
   and traditional producers are having their content devalued and their
   businesses threatened by low-quality content.  I don't completely accept
   the last point: maybe "old media" deserves a shake-up, but he does make
   some valid points.

   He also cites addiction, online gambling, file-sharing and plagiarism as
   nasty side-effects of the new world order.  He's particularly damning of
   Google: "they have figured out how to magically transform other people's
   free content into a multi-billion-dollar advertising machine."  He
   concludes by proposing some solutions: curation of content, regulation
   and enforcement.  Of course these suggestions will never fly with those
   who demand unfettered openness as a means to "democritisation".  But
   then it's easy living in an idealised world.

   Irony?  In true Web 2.0 fashion, the book been uploaded by someone:
     <http://www.scribd.com/doc/47721560/Keen-Andrew-The-Cult-of-the-Amateur>
   and Google's index helped me find it.


   3. "The Perfect Egg and Other Secrets" by Aldo Buzzi
     <http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Egg-Other-Secrets/dp/074757930X>

   This is a great little collection of food-related essays by late Italian
   architect/screen writer/author Aldo Buzzi.  The first part of the book
   gathers together recipes from the author's travels around the world.  I
   guess you need a bit of an open mind as to what other cultures consider
   delicacies, e.g. pigeons and crows.  Each brief chapter presents a
   recipe as well as some related anecdotes, trivia and cultural notes.

   The second part concentrates on the home cooking of the author's German-
   born mother.  Overall another entertaining read, especially if you're
   interested in food and cooking.


   4. "Sputnik Sweetheart" by Haruki Murakami
     <http://www.amazon.com/Sputnik-Sweetheart/dp/0375726055>
     
   In this Murakami novel the main character is a young teacher who finds
   that his love for his friend Sumire, a wannabe writer, is unrequited.
   In fact, she has become infatuated with her new boss, Miu, a prominent
   and married businesswoman.

   The first part of the novel sets the scene and establishes these three
   characters.  I don't want to say much more about the actual plot to
   avoid spoilers.  I'll just say there is a major turning point midway
   through, and the second half becomes an interesting look at loneliness.
   Towards the end the main character, when counselling a young pupil,
   describes being all alone as "the feeling you get when you stand at the
   mouth of a large river on a rainy evening and watch the water flow into
   the sea".  He also warns that thinking just by yourself for too long can
   hold you back, can keep you to a single viewpoint.

   It almost wouldn't be a Murakami story without the presence of cats,
   wells, music and cooking, all with a hint of the supernatural.  These
   elements all make an appearance, but as usual it's the characters,
   themes and plot which carry the story.  Overall, another excellent
   novel, confirming Murakami as my favourite Japanese author.


   5. "Party of One: The Loners' Manifesto" by Anneli Rufus
     <http://www.amazon.com/Party-One/dp/1569245134>

   The author is a confessed and proud loner.  She argues that the term
   "loner" has become a negative label, when in fact some types of people
   actually need some "alone" time.  She notes that many great writers,
   artists and inventors were loners, and we benefit from the fruits of
   their solitude.  She contrasts the voluntary "loner" with the
   involuntary "outcast", and points out that many notorious loners were
   actually social people who were rejected.  These "pseudoloners" often
   did drastic things to take revenge or seek notoriety.

   As an introvert who requires alone time, I found this book refreshing
   and reassuring.  Not everyone is a social butterfly, and there's nothing
   wrong with shutting yourself off occasionally to get some peace and
   quiet.  In fact, in appropriate doses it can help keep you sane.
   Extroverts should read this book too, so they can better understand the
   rest of us.


   6. "The Four Agreements" by don Miguel Ruiz
     <http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements/dp/1878424505>

   As the subtitle mentions, this book is a "practical guide to personal
   freedom".  It is based on the Wisdom of the Toltec.  The four agreements
   are straight-forward and hard to fault:
    (1) Be impeccable with your word.
    (2) Don't take anything personally.
    (3) Don't make assumptions.
    (4) Always do your best.

   The author argues that we can achieve personal freedom and happiness if
   we make and hold these agreements.  There's much in common with other
   moral codes and philosophies, so it's hard to argue against them.  I
   guess one criticism is that these agreements, like any moral codes,
   beliefs and principles, are also subject to the environment we live in.