Concerto RV 315, Op. 8, No. 2 L'Estate (I : Allegro mà non molto) -- Urtext

Four Seasons - Summer- Concerto in G minor - First Movement

This famous Allegro mà non molto is the first of three movements in the Concerto RV 315, Op. 8, No. 2 (L'Estate) by Antonio Vivaldi.

This concerto is part of Vivaldi's famous Four Seasons [Le quattro stagioni], a series of four concertos part of Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione [The Contest of Harmony and Invention].

Each concerto in the Four Seasons is associated to a sonnet probably written by Vivaldi himself.

The verses corresponding to the Allegro mà non molto of the Summer concerto are as follows :

Sotto dura Staggion dal Sole accesa
Langue l' huom, langue 'l gregge, ed arde il Pino;
Scioglie il Cucco la Voce, e tosto intesa
Canta la Tortorella e 'l gardelino.
Zeffiro dolce Spira, mà contesa
Muove Borea improviso al Suo vicino;
E piange il Pastorel, perche sospesa
Teme fiera borasca, e 'l suo destino.

[Under a hard Season, fired up by the Sun
Languishes man, languishes the flock and burns the pine
We hear the cuckoo's voice; then sweet songs of the turtledove and finch are heard.
Soft breezes stir the air... but threatening north wind sweeps them suddenly aside.
The shepherd trembles, fearing violent storms and his fate.]

Please note that in measure 29, the slur in the violin part is editorial as it does not appear in the sources.

Duration : 05:14

Source : Antonio Vivaldi, Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione, Op. 8 (Amsterdam : Le Cène, 1725).