Editing The Four Seasons (Vivaldi) (section)

==Recording history==
[[File:BernardinoMolinari-1922.jpg|thumb|Bernardino Molinari, who made the first electrical recording of ''The Four Seasons'' in 1942.]]
The date and personnel on the first recording of ''The Four Seasons'' are disputed. There is a compact disc of a recording made by the violinist [[Alfredo Campoli]] taken from [[Acetate disc|acetates]] of a French radio broadcast; these are thought to date from early in 1939.<ref>Pearl GEMM CD 9151</ref> The first proper [[Phonograph record#Electrical recording|electrical recording]] was made in 1942 by [[Bernardino Molinari]]; though his is a somewhat different interpretation from modern performances, it is clearly recognisable as ''The Four Seasons''. Molinari's recording was made for Cetra, and was issued in [[Italy]] and subsequently in the United States on six [[grammophone record|double-sided 78s]], in the 1940s. It was then reissued on [[LP album|long-playing album]] in 1950, and, later, on compact disc.<ref>Two versions are available, one with more extensive sleeve notes giving the political background and history of the work's rediscovery issued by Ermitage ERC CD 12006-2.</ref>

The first American recording was made in the final week of 1947 by the violinist [[Louis Kaufman]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bowling |first1=Lance |title=8.110297-98 – VIVALDI: 12 Violin Concertos, Op. 8 / The 4 Seasons (Kaufman) (1947, 1950) |url=https://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.110297-98&catNum=8110297&filetype=About%20this%20Recording&language=English |publisher=Naxos Records |access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref> The recording was made at [[Carnegie Hall]] in advance of a scheduled recording ban effective 1 January 1948.<ref name="Eichler">{{cite news | author=Jeremy Eichler | title=The Masterpiece That Took 200 Years to Become Timeless | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/arts/music/the-masterpiece-that-took-200-years-to-become-timeless.html | work=The New York Times | date=2005-02-27 | access-date=2018-01-06}}</ref> The performers were The Concert Hall Chamber Orchestra under [[Henry Swoboda]], [[Edith Weiss-Mann]] ([[harpsichord]]) and Edouard Nies-Berger ([[organ (music)|organ]]).<ref>Concert Hall Records, CHS. set AR; reissued on Naxos Historical 8.110297-98.</ref> This recording helped the re-popularisation of Vivaldi's music in the mainstream repertoire of Europe and America following on the work done by Molinari and others in Italy.<ref name="Eichler"/> It won the French [[Grand Prix du Disque]] in 1950, was elected to the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]] in 2002, and was selected the following year for the [[National Recording Registry]] in the [[Library of Congress]]. Kaufman, intrigued to learn that the four concertos were in fact part of a set of twelve, set about finding a full score and eventually recorded the other eight concertos in [[Zürich]] in 1950, making his the first recording of [[Antonio Vivaldi|Vivaldi]]'s complete Op. 8.<ref>#CHS.CHC 1064 (#Nix.CLP 1061-1/2)</ref>

The ensemble [[I Musici]] has recorded ''The Four Seasons'' probably more often than any other established musical group to date: The debut recording in 1955 with [[Felix Ayo]]; again with Ayo in 1959, this time in stereo — the very first stereo recording of the work; subsequent recordings featuring Roberto Michelucci (1969), the highly acclaimed 1982 recording with [[Pina Carmirelli]], [[Federico Agostini]] (1988), [[Mariana Sîrbu]] (1995), Antonio Anselmi (2012) and Marco Fiorini (2021). There is also a video recording of ''The Four Seasons'' performed by I Musici in Antonio Vivaldi's hometown of [[Venice]], filmed by Anton van Munster in 1988.<ref>{{YouTube|M9e_sINPL_0|Vivaldi – The Four Seasons (Complete)}}</ref>

The 1969 Argo recording by the [[Academy of St Martin in the Fields|Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields]] conducted by [[Neville Marriner]] and featuring the soloist [[Alan Loveday]] sold over half a million copies; it became the ensemble's first [[Music recording sales certification|gold record]].<ref>{{cite news | author=Andrew Clements | title=Neville Marriner – ten of his best recordings | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/oct/04/neville-marriner-ten-of-his-best-recordings-andrew-clements | work=The Guardian | date=2016-10-04 | access-date=2018-01-06}}</ref>

[[Zagreb Soloists|I Solisti di Zagreb]], under the baton of [[Antonio Janigro]] with Jan Tomasow as violin soloist and Anton Heiller on harpsichord, followed in 1957 on the Vanguard label, further reissued under the Philips and other labels. [[Wilfrid Mellers]], an English music critic, musicologist and composer wrote of this performance, "the soloists phrase their lyricism beautifully."{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} John Thornton wrote about this recording, "Here is matchless ensemble playing, topped by Tomasow's secure playing. Janigro reveals his talent for conducting, which competes with his considerable talent for cello playing."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Thornton|first=John|date=October 1958|title=Stereo Disc Reviews|url=http://vintagevacuumaudio.com/vintage-magazines/hifi/1958-10-hifi-stereo-review.pdf|journal=HiFi/Stereo Review|volume=1|issue=9|pages=88|via=vintagevacuumaudio.com}}</ref>

Ivan Supek wrote of this recording:

{{blockquote|I will attempt to convey to you how much this performance means to me, and might mean to you, as well. My first encounter with the records took place almost thirty years ago, when "our" Antonio revealed to me the true significance of the piece of another great Antonio, his famous namesake, whose ''Le Quattro Staggioni'' I could hardly listen any more because of the "grand", actually too grand, performances usual at that time, let alone enjoy them. What a change it was – a window into a new world; music is fast, precise and true to life, the intonation is correct, the continuo appropriate, and the violin of beautiful sound in fitting correlation with the Zagreb Soloists. The self-assured and fine tone of Jan Tomasow's solo violin relates perfectly with the Soloists; the entire performance is impregnated with the spirit of Janigro's perfectionism, leaving the music and its soul fully exposed. It had been for a long time the only performance I could listen to. Only during [the] last decade some new kids, playing authentic instruments, have offered to me similar pleasure and insights into the music of Antonio Vivaldi and, to my great pleasure, Janigro's performance is no longer the only choice for me.

In my opinion, this also shows how Janigro's performance in cooperation with the Zagreb Soloists was far ahead its time, as corroborated by [[Igor Stravinsky]], who claimed that it was the most beautiful performance of ''Le Quattro Staggioni'' he had ever heard, a statement which I only recently learned about. No wonder, since such “bareness” and precision of Janigro's interpretation must have appealed to him. It was much later that I discovered the excellence of the recording as well. At that time, the Zagreb Soloists were recording for Vanguard, mostly in Vienna at various locations, and this particular recording was made in 1957 at Rotenturmstrassaal. Recording was produced by Seymour Solomon, chief producer of the entire edition, who would personally come from the USA to oversee every recording to be made by the Zagreb Soloists, whereas the Vanguard branch in Vienna "Amadeo" was in charge of the organisation. (My gratitude to one of the founders of the Zagreb Soloists, Mr. Stjepan Aranjoš, for providing me with some important insights). Janigro was a perfectionist, often rather merciless, not only in matters of music but also in terms of the sound, so he participated directly and intensely in [the] recording process, which was quite uncommon at that time. All that great care, by all participants in the project, is amply reflected in the recording itself, resulting in an airy performance of appropriate spaciousness and extension, with only occasional “congestion” of high tones in forte sections.<ref>Antonio Janigro – WAM{{full citation needed|date=March 2021}}</ref>}}

Paul Shoemaker wrote about this recording:

{{blockquote|Nothing I have heard changes my view that the best Seasons ever was performed by Jan Tomasow and I Solisti di Zagreb and beautifully recorded by Vanguard at the very beginning of the stereo era. If you have almost every other version of the Seasons, you’ll want this one, too. If money and space are no obstacle, it might be worth having.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2003/Jun03/vivaldi2aa.htm|title=Vivaldi – The Ultimate Four Seasons [PS]: Classical CD Reviews- April 2003 MusicWeb(UK)|first=Music on the|last=Web(UK)|website=www.musicweb-international.com}}</ref>}}[[Nigel Kennedy|Nigel Kennedy's]] 1989 recording of ''The Four Seasons'' with the [[English Chamber Orchestra]] sold over {{nowrap|three million}} copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling [[Classical music|classical]] works ever.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Brunning |first=John |date=3 September 2014 |title=How Nigel Kennedy changed classical music forever |url=https://www.classicfm.com/artists/nigel-kennedy/news/vivaldi-four-seasons-conversation/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905201652/http://www.classicfm.com/artists/nigel-kennedy/news/vivaldi-four-seasons-conversation/ |archive-date=2014-09-05 |access-date=2014-09-05 |website=[[Classic FM (UK)|Classic FM]] |language=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9908/23/wb.kennedy/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060427132629/http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9908/23/wb.kennedy/ |url-status= dead |archive-date= April 27, 2006 |title= Not quite Vivaldi: Nigel Kennedy remembers Hendrix |first= Steve |last= Wright |publisher= CNN |date= 23 August 1999 }}</ref> The marketing of Kennedy's record was described as "the first time that a classical artist had been given the full pop marketing treatment", with a promotional single, and advertisements on billboards, TV and radio.<ref name=":0" />

[[Gil Shaham]] and the [[Orpheus Chamber Orchestra]] recorded ''The Four Seasons'' as well as a music video for the first movement of "Winter" that was featured regularly on [[The Weather Channel]] in the mid-1990s.

[[Surround sound]] versions of the piece have been issued on [[Super Audio CD]] by [[Richard Tognetti]], [[Pinchas Zukerman]], [[Jonathan Carney]] and [[Rachel Podger]].

''The World's Encyclopedia of Recorded Music'' in 1952 cites only two recordings of ''The Four Seasons'' – by Molinari and Kaufman. {{As of|2011|alt=By 2011}}, approximately 1,000 recorded versions have been made since Campoli's in 1939.{{citation needed|date=March 2011}}

In 2009, all four concertos were arranged for piano by pianist [[Jeffrey Biegel]].

In 2023, [[Gramophone (magazine)|Gramophone Magazine]] named [[La Serenissima (musical ensemble)|La Serenissima]]'s recording of the Manchester version of ''The Four Seasons'' as "potentially the most streamed interpretation ever."<ref>{{Cite web |title=From LeBron James to La Serenissima: what lies behind the limitless appeal of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons? |url=https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/from-lebron-james-to-la-serenissima-what-lies-behind-the-limitless-appeal-of-vivaldi-s-the-four-seasons |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=Gramophone |language=en}}</ref> with over 165 million streams on [https://open.spotify.com/artist/15PIcAgtP1zCipRK3sniUN Spotify] alone.

Classical musicians have sought to distinguish their recordings of ''The Four Seasons'', with [[historically informed performance]]s, and [[Ornament (music)|embellishments]], to the point of varying the instruments and [[tempo|tempi]], or playing notes differently from the listener's expectation (whether specified by the composer or not).<ref>Performing Vivaldi, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbue5ZFbFiQ Interview with Nemanja Radulovic], featured on YouTube (recording artist's channel)</ref> It is said that Vivaldi's work presents such opportunities for [[Musical improvisation|improvisation]].<ref>Performing Vivaldi, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVluvZ4ema8 Interview with Aisslinn Nosky], featured on YouTube (producer's channel).</ref> Many period-based ensembles have recorded ''The Four Seasons,'' including [[La Serenissima (musical ensemble)|La Serenissima]] under the direction of [[Adrian Chandler]] who recorded the Manchester version of ''The Four Seasons'', [[The English Concert]] under the direction of [[Trevor Pinnock]], the [[Academy of Ancient Music]] under the direction of [[Christopher Hogwood]] and [[Europa Galante]] under the direction of [[Fabio Biondi]].