Vivaldi: The Four Seasons / Leoni Arendt: Asenka Baturina - Duet Piano / UltraAnalog CD AAD

UPC 9787884816118

Product Details:

• Label: ABC (INTL) Records
• Format: CD
• Country: Germany
• Released: 2017
• Genre: Classical, Baroque
• Country of Manufacture: Made in Germany
• Audio Quality: Uncompressed Sound, Natural Dynamics, HD Mastering

Overview

This extraordinary recording of Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" brings the timeless beauty of these iconic concertos to life with incredible high-definition sound. Featuring masterful performances by Leoni Arendt and Asenka Baturina on dual pianos, the music is captured in an uncompressed, natural soundscape that delivers every nuance and detail. The album is a breakthrough in sound quality, offering a clear and dynamic listening experience that sets a new standard in classical music recordings.

Track Listing:

1. Spring

   • Allegro (3:23)
   • Largo e pianissimo sempre (2:41)
   • Allegro (Danze pastorale) (4:15)

2. Summer

   • Allegro non molto; Allegro (4:54)
   • Adagio-Presto (2:15)
   • Presto (Tempo impetuoso d’estate) (3:06)

3. Autumn

   • Allegro (5:17)
   • Adagio molto (2:42)
   • Allegro (3:40)

4. Winter

   • Allegro non molto (3:29)
   • Largo (2:15)
   • Allegro (3:17)

5. Bonus Tracks:

   • Military March in D-flat Major, D733 – Franz Schubert (3:20)  
   • Grande valse brillante no.1 - Chopin  (5:32)
     
   • The Hut on Fowl's Legs & The Great Gate at Kiev - Modest Mussorgsky (5:30)
     

Key Credits:

• Performers: Leoni Arendt (Piano), Asenka Baturina (Piano)
• Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
• Additional Composition: Franz Schubert (Military March in D-flat Major, D733)
• Label: ABC (INTL) Records
• Mastering: High Definition Mastering, Direct-to-Disc Recording

維爾瓦第小提琴協奏曲就是簡單的雙鋼琴音樂曲嗎？「四季」鋼琴曲就不是由小小威尼斯島上的孤兒院的修女在一臺1722年建造的琴鍵上彈奏出來的，而是兩架現代平臺大鋼琴的傑作。

直到最近不久，這一系列的音樂表現的都是簡單的音樂生活。在音樂生活的每個角落，他們幾乎隨處可見——只古典曲除外！對音樂轉錄本所持的較真態度和偏見是現代才形成的思想。用鑒賞家及評論家的眼光看，它只是古代文化，並不具備逼真音樂藝術的特點。

李斯特（1811-1886，兇牙利鋼琴家、作曲家）、Busoni (1866～1924，意大利作曲家、鋼琴家）也轉錄過巴赫。阿諾爾·勛伯格、韋伯恩和斯特拉文斯基也有過類似動作。就連巴赫自己也是個不折不扣的改編者，他最喜歡改編維瓦爾第的音樂。如同艾美達·布拉德一樣，巴赫改編的維爾瓦第的小提琴協奏曲是鍵盤音樂。

然而，巴赫從未改編過「四季」。而在那個時候，以至當今，四季都是作曲家最負盛名和最受歡迎的曲作。不過，他不一定得這樣做，因為從18世紀三十年代起，「四季」已經不知道被轉錄過多少遍。吉恩·雅克·盧梭也曾於1755年專門為此舉行過主題為「白桃花心木」的笛子獨奏音樂專場會。同時，在眾多轉錄過的音樂形式當中，它也被改編轉錄成法國的小風笛，小風琴以及大型合唱。

18世 紀，當鋼琴開始登上舞臺並成為音樂場面上的主角時，「四季」便迅速成為音樂改編和轉錄的焦點。幾乎在每一場重要的管弦音樂會、歌劇作品和合唱曲中以鍵盤音 樂的形式被演奏——對於不明道理或是古玩癖來說，他們對此的理解不外乎就是一架鋼琴，兩只手；四只手或兩架鋼琴。而鋼琴，代替管弦樂，成為傳輸古典或浪漫 音樂文化的主要方式，最終，音樂還是以巴洛克風格示眾。

什麽又是巴洛克音樂中的實質呢？

從很多方面來看，巴洛克音樂聽起來更接近爵士，而不是其後發展起來的古典或浪漫音樂。它是由一組節奏樂器彈奏的，基本樂器是鍵盤合成器和貝司。它的數字低音部份和節奏樂器有著強勁的、穩定的節奏音軌，能夠補充基本弦樂的不足或帶來變化。

協奏曲一組總共有十二首，而作為最初四首協奏曲中的維瓦爾第的《小提琴協奏曲》，已經於1730年左右早在荷蘭首都阿姆斯特丹和巴黎發表了。當時是以-《維瓦爾第：和諧與創意的試驗》為總標題而發表的，或者我們可以理解為「科技與幻想之間的交感」或「形式與內容的較量」。這 套十二首的協奏曲系獻給一位波希米亞貴族－穆爾辛伯爵的，管弦樂曲也是明顯為他而作的。維瓦爾第在他四十歲的時候已經小有盛名了，當時已經不只在威尼斯聖 母憐子孤兒院和音樂學校裏工作。他的協奏曲在意大利、德國、法國和英國大受歡迎，頗具影響力。除此之外，在他逝世後，特別是「四季」陸續被翻新、轉錄改 編，一直持續到本世紀末。即使是在浪漫主義時期，「威尼斯的『紅色牧師』」成為巴洛克音樂復興時斯的優秀音樂。所以，十八世紀再也沒有比「四季」更受青睞 的了。

相關轉錄的事情，我們已經提過了。另外一個涉及到的理念就是「模防自然」。對大自然的熱愛和欣賞本身就是十八世紀早期發展的產物，所以該理念所包含的所指就 是人類自身在不斷追求文明化的進程中，已經離自然的初始狀態脫離了太遠。吉恩·雅客·盧梭自身也是音樂家兼作曲家（我們知道，「白桃花心木」就是經過他轉 錄的）。他是這些音樂思想的代表者，並為著名的百科全書撰寫音樂文章，使得這些思想在整個歐洲普及開來。盧梭反對「純」音樂，並提議好的音樂總是在模仿自 然，包括一個人的感情和心境，雷聲和鳥鳴。他認為法國音樂太顯膚淺和太註重禮儀，而意大利音樂相對更加樸實自然，在情感梳理和布景製作方面更勝一籌。

維瓦爾第的作品在許多方面來講都是對盧梭理論的完美的真實再現。盡管保留了巴洛克音樂的特點，但在質地方面更為簡單，也不那麽對位式的，朝著洛可可式和古典 的方向走去。它利用最直接的方式來激發人的心緒和帶給人更多的心靈畫面——即「模仿」，啟蒙時期美學家們經常談論的話題。

維 瓦爾第更中意他的十四行詩小提琴協奏曲，詩是由他的一個很親密的合作者寫的。這些詩斷開成特殊音樂段落，準確地敘述了維瓦爾第所要表達的東西。這首十四行 詩的新譯稿會在下面展示，很大一部分是因為他們應該被人所知，一部分原因是因為布拉德在他的轉錄中提到過，還有一些原因是因為總有把奇異的古意大利語轉錄 或翻譯錯誤的版本出現，同時也因為純粹的不富內含的文字表達，即音樂表達的無信仰思想與傳統的模式格格不入，甚至有對巴洛克音樂的不正確的詮釋。

Is a Vivaldi violin concerto simply a piece for two pianos? The "Four Seasons" pianissimos were not played by nuns in an orphanage on the tiny island of Venice on a keyboard built in 1722, but were the work of two modern flat-top grand pianos.

Until recently, the music of this series was about the simple life of music. They are to be found almost everywhere in musical life – except in classical music! Truthfulness and prejudice against music transcriptions are modern ideas. To the eyes of connoisseurs and critics, it is just ancient culture, not characterized by realistic musical art.

Liszt (1811-1886, pianist and composer from Hungary) and Busoni (1866-1924, Italian composer and pianist) also transcribed Bach. Arnold Feinberg, Webern, and Stravinsky did the same. Even Bach himself was an avid arranger, and his favorite music was Vivaldi. Like Emeda Bullard, Bach's adaptations of Vivaldi's violin concertos were for keyboard.

However, Bach never adapted the Four Seasons. At that time, and still today, the Four Seasons are among the composer's most famous and popular compositions. But he didn't have to, because the Seasons have been transcribed countless times since the 1830s. Jean-Jacques Rousseau also dedicated a concert to it for solo flute in 1755 on the theme of "White Mahogany". It has also been adapted to French bagpipes, small organs and large-scale chorales, among many other forms of recorded music.

In the 18th century, when the piano began to dominate the musical scene on the stage, the Four Seasons quickly became the focus of adaptation and transcription. It was played as keyboard music in almost every major orchestral concert, opera production and choral piece – for the uninitiated or the antiquarian, it was understood as one piano, two hands; four hands or two pianos. The piano, instead of the orchestra, became the primary means of transmitting classical or romantic musical culture, and ultimately, the music became known as Baroque.

What is the essence of Baroque music?

In many ways, Baroque music sounds closer to jazz than to the classical or romantic music that developed later. It is played by a group of rhythmic instruments, the basic instruments being the keyboard synthesizer and bass. Its digital bass part and rhythm instruments have a strong, steady rhythmic track that complements or varies the basic strings.

There are twelve concertos in all, and Vivaldi's Violin Concerto, one of the first four concertos, was published around 1730 in the Dutch capitals of Amsterdam and Paris. The concerto was published under the general title of Vivaldi: An Experiment in Harmony and Creativity, or what can be interpreted as a "sympathy between technology and fantasy" or a "contest between form and content". The twelve concertos were dedicated to a Bohemian nobleman, Count Mursin, and the orchestral pieces were clearly written for him. Vivaldi was already well known by the time he was forty years old, and was already working in more than just the Orphanage of Our Lady of Mercy in Venice and the Music School. His concertos were very popular and influential in Italy, Germany, France and England. In addition, after his death, the Four Seasons, in particular, continued to be renovated, transcribed and adapted until the end of the century. Even during the Romantic period, "The Red Priest of Venice" became an outstanding piece of music during the Baroque revival. Therefore, there was no more popular music in the 18th century than "The Four Seasons".

We have already mentioned the transcription. Another concept involved is "Mimic Nature. The love and appreciation of nature was itself a product of the early development of the 18th century, so the idea was that mankind, in its continuous pursuit of civilization, had drifted too far away from the original state of nature. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was himself a musician and composer (we know that "White Mahogany" was transcribed by him). He was an exponent of these musical ideas, and wrote articles on music for famous encyclopedias, which popularized these ideas throughout Europe. Rousseau opposed "pure" music and suggested that good music always imitates nature, including one's feelings and state of mind, the sound of thunder and the chirping of birds. He thought that French music was too superficial and ritualistic, while Italian music was more simple and natural, with better emotional organization and scenic production.

In many ways, Vivaldi's works are a perfect and authentic reproduction of Rousseau's theories. Although it retains the characteristics of Baroque music, it is simpler in texture and less counterpointed, moving in the direction of the Rococo and the Classical. It utilizes the most direct means to stimulate the mind and to bring out more mental pictures – "imitation", a topic often discussed by aestheticians of the Enlightenment.

Vivaldi preferred his Sonnets for Violin Concerto, written by one of his close collaborators. The poems are broken up into specific musical passages that accurately describe what Vivaldi was trying to say. New translations of the sonnets are shown below, partly because they should be known, partly because Brad mentions them in his transcription, partly because there are always bizarre transcriptions or mistranslations into ancient Italian, and partly because of the sheer insubstantiality of the textual expression, i.e., the faithlessness of the musical expression, which is out of step with the traditional paradigm, and even the incorrect interpretation of Baroque music. There are also incorrect interpretations of Baroque music.