The storm breaks.
Summer ends in a rush of wind, thunder, and flying notes. Follow the solo violin as it cuts through the restless strings.
- Feel the first downpour
- The strings begin together, then leave a sudden space before the storm returns.
- Follow the soloist
- The top row belongs to the solo violin. The two orchestral violin parts have their own rows below it.
- Watch the ensemble gather
- Solo passages give way to the force of the whole group. The cello anchors the motion beneath them.
Behind the music
Antonio Vivaldi was a Venetian violinist, composer, and ordained priest. In The Four Seasons, he turned familiar scenes from nature into music: birdsong, oppressive heat, storms, and winter cold.
Published in 1725, the four concertos came with descriptive sonnets. This is the complete third movement of Summer, where the gathering storm finally breaks.
Recording, score & sources
Antonio Vivaldi · The Four Seasons · Concerto in G minor, Op. 8, No. 2, RV 315, “Summer” · III. Presto.
John Harrison, violin; the Wichita State University Chamber Players, conducted by Robert Turizziani. Recorded live at Wiedemann Recital Hall on 6 February 2000. The complete recording is used without musical edits; its browser copy is transcoded to AAC.
Recording © John Harrison, used under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the performer’s page and the original recording.
MusicXML: bach2practice’s transcription, distributed in PDMX with a CC0 dedication. The original file is preserved. All 130 bars and all five notated string parts are included; the score does not supply a separate keyboard realization.
The viewing edition corrects ten pitches, restores nine notes to the solo violin’s double-stops, and restores two tie chains using Mutopia’s Summer edition, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. The correction map and original sources remain alongside this preview. The derived viewing score is shared under CC BY-SA 3.0.
This local preview is prepared for listening and score review. The visual effects follow the notation and recording timeline; the soundtrack is the human performance.
Background reading: LA Phil on The Four Seasons and Spring and Summer.
Space: play/pause · Left/right arrows: seek five seconds · Home: restart. Tab to an instrument and press Enter or Space to focus it. The complete ensemble keeps playing.