• The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi

    I need music everyday, and my favorite kind is classical music.

    I started to listen to classical music around ten years old. You might wonder why I have such an old soul, but it’s just my personal preference and my favorite pastime. 

    I remember I listened to Mozart’s 12 Variationen über ein französisches Lied “Ah, vous dirai-je, maman” before going to sleep, and The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky when I was a kid. Now as I become older, I listen to a wider range of composers and pieces. I also love operas and I can never forget I went to the Met Opera almost every week when I was studying in New York. During the covid pandemic, it was also the Met Opera free nightly opera streams which accompanied me for months. 

    Since music is a really big part of my life, I would like to start this new project to share some of my playlist with you. And hope you will find some pieces you like too!   

    我每天都需要音樂,而最喜歡的種類是古典音樂。我大約10歲開始聽古典樂,(或許從小就養成老靈魂LOL),古典音樂也自小成為我最愛的休閒。

    記得小時候喜歡莫札特的小星星變奏曲,還有柴可夫斯基的胡桃鉗,現在長大了,我也聽更多音樂家的作品跟歌劇,也一直懷念當時在紐約,幾乎每個週末都去大都會歌劇院的時光。

    最近也有心好好紀錄自己喜歡的音樂家跟他們的作品,希望跟你們分享。

    Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

    The Four Seasons is a piece of music which you might be familiar with even if you are not a classical music fan. It has been used in many commercials and movies and TV series. I love this piece and I have listened to it performed live many times and I just enjoyed it every time.

    The Four Seasons is composed by the Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi. Vivaldi was an Italian Baroque composer, violinist, and a priest. I always remember that I saw a painting of him in the music textbook when I was in my first grade. Because of Vivaldi’s iconic red hair, he was also known as the “The Red Priest”. 

    “Four Seasons” is the most renowned piece by Vivaldi. You might not have heard the full concertos, but you must know some of the melodies from them. I once talked about Vivaldi with a friend, and he just asked me “Which season is your favorite?” I was amused by this question since it seemed to be a tacit understanding that once Vivaldi is mentioned, “Four Seasons” will be brought up.

    Antonio Vivaldi

    韋瓦第的四季小提琴協奏曲是古典樂中最為耳熟能詳的曲目之一,被廣泛運用在電影跟影集中。我實在很愛這首作品,也到現場聆聽過許多次演出,不管聽過再多遍,都還是會被深深吸引。

    韋瓦第是義大利巴洛克時期的作曲家、小提琴家與神父。記得讀小學時在音樂課本中看過他的畫像,他有著一頭紅色長髮,因此也被稱為 “紅髮神父”。

    “四季協奏曲”便是韋瓦第最為人知的曲目。或許你從未聽過整首協奏曲,但是一定聽過其中幾段旋律。我曾經跟朋友聊到韋瓦第,他直接就問:那你最喜歡哪一個季節?我當時被逗樂了,可見談到韋瓦第就要聊四季協奏曲已經成了一種既定的默契。

    The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi
    The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi

    I am always obsessed with the musical depiction of the Four Seasons by Vivaldi, and I have listened to many performances including live and recordings by different chamber orchestras. I also went to the concert of I Musici in Taipei National Concert Hall in 2011 which was an unforgettable evening. Recently, I found another intriguing version of the “Four Seasons”, which was performed by Jaap van Zweden in 1990.

    Since my favorite season is winter, I share the winter part here with you. 

    Listen to Maestro Jaap van Zweden’s music, it not only captures the coldness of winter, but also heartstrings of listeners. 

    無論春夏秋冬,無論白日黑夜,聽到韋瓦第的四季總是讓人陶醉,我至今最愛的現場演出是2011年 I Musici 在台北國家音樂廳的演出,小提琴首席Antonio Anselmi精湛動人的演奏為聽眾創造了一個美好難忘的夜晚。

    而我最近百聽不厭的,是 Jaap van Zweden 這張四季協奏曲的專輯。

     Jaap van Zweden本為小提琴家,在前紐約愛樂總監伯恩斯坦的鼓勵下轉學指揮,如今已是享譽盛名的知名指揮家,現場演出與錄音專輯都讓人著迷,除此之外,他年輕時的小提琴錄音也是讓樂迷愛不釋手。1990年的錄音,這曲維瓦第的四季,聽聽 Jaap van Zweden的琴弦吧,那不僅是挑動情感,更勾緊了人心。

    冬日冷冽, Jaap van Zweden用他的小提琴刮起刺骨的冷風,不過,他的琴聲除了冷冽,還多了誘人的神秘跟魅惑。誰說冬日就是刺骨的冰冷?在 Jaap van Zweden的琴音裡,冷冽喚醒了聽覺與感官,也點燃了燎原之火。如此的冬日,讓人悸動,也讓人深陷其中。

    如他靛藍色的雙眸,迷人的誘惑,任誰都無法逃脫。

    Signature of Sienna Wang

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