Antonio Vivaldi
1678 - 1741
Italian
Biography
Born in Venice on March 4th 1678, Antonio Vivaldi is often seen as one of the most significant composers of the Baroque era, composing an enormous range of concertos for a variety of instruments, but particularly the violin, an instrument at which he was a very capable virtuoso. He also wrote over forty operas, many of which saw extensive staging in Venice, Mantuna and Vienna. He eventually moved to Vienna after meeting Emperor Charles VI, hoping that this connection might bring him further success. Unfortunately, the Emperor died not long after Vivaldi moved and Vivaldi was unable to find significant income and died a year later in poverty. His music was largely lost to obscurity for many years after his death and was only revived in the 20th century. His series of violin concerti The Four Seasons is most certainly his best-known work in the modern day, and is very regularly played.
Performances
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