Antonio Vivaldi

His first published work, issued soon after his ordination, already shows him beginning to stamp his own character on the fashionable dance forms and variation techniques of the day.

• The last of the twelve pieces sets more than twenty variations on the widely used 'La Folia' theme of the day, its highlight being a passage in which the two violins chase each other in ever faster, more brilliant figuration.
• As the variations proceed, short, springing bow strokes alternate with long, sustained ones, making the piece famous as a proving ground for a player's bow technique.
• In the modest scoring for two violins and continuo (a bass accompaniment notated only in chords, left for the player to fill in), one can already glimpse the rhythmic sense that would later drive his concertos.

The first of his concerto collections to be printed and circulated internationally, it is the fruit of his prolific years writing for the girls of the Pietà, and also the work Bach studied by arranging it himself.

• The tenth, the Concerto for Four Violins (RV580), has a striking opening in which the four solo parts enter one by one, stacking up like a staircase — a structure so impressive that Bach later reworked it as his Concerto for Four Harpsichords (BWV 1065).
• The first movement of the sixth concerto (RV356) opens with a short, decisive theme and is still widely used today as a test piece for beginning violinists.
• The ritornello form is clearly audible throughout, the tutti recurring like a refrain between episodes of solo playing, letting us watch the concerto as a genre take on its lasting shape.

Sacred music written with the Pietà's girls' choir and orchestra in mind, it still lets us imagine today the voices of singers who performed without ever showing their faces.

• The opening chorus combines a bright oboe melody with a vigorous string rhythm to create a festive atmosphere.
• In 'Domine Deus,' which sings of 'the Lord God,' the soprano soloist and oboe trade melodic phrases as if chasing one another, lending the movement a tender, wistful quality.
• Since it was written for the Pietà's choir of women and girls only, it helps to listen with the knowledge that high voices, rather than male basses, dominate the texture.

This is the work in which the irony shows most vividly: a man who lived his whole life with a disease that made even breathing a struggle nonetheless depicted storms and thunder, and lively dances.

• The opening of the first movement of 'Spring' depicts birdsong, as indicated by the accompanying sonnet, with the violin imitating chirping through trills — short, rapid repetitions of the same note.
• The third movement of 'Summer' depicts the 'thunderstorm' specified in the sonnet, with the whole string section racing rapidly up and down; it is considered the moment that most tests the solo violinist's technique.
• The second movement of 'Autumn' is said to portray the slow breathing of drunken, sleeping peasants through low strings sustaining chords that seem to almost break off.
• In the second movement of 'Winter,' the strings imitate raindrops outside the window using pizzicato — plucking the strings with the fingers — while the solo violin sings a peaceful melody by the fireside.

An opera he made a success by casting Anna Girò, whom he met in Mantua, as prima donna — it shows his instincts as an impresario.

• The aria marking the sorceress Alcina's first entrance is written in a coloratura style that shows off virtuosity through fast, ornamental figuration, revealing her dangerous allure.
• In the scene where Orlando descends into madness from heartbreak, sudden shifts in key follow one after another — read as a musical translation of the character's mental turmoil.
• Since the role was written with Anna Girò's voice and skill in mind, one can listen for the brilliant passages likely tailored to her.

A concerto collection dedicated to Emperor Charles VI, whom he met in Trieste — its restrained elegance, tailored to courtly taste, contrasts with earlier works like The Four Seasons.

• Befitting a work dedicated to the emperor, its contrapuntal texture — several melodies interweaving independently — is more elaborate than in his earlier concertos.
• In several movements the solo violin plays double- and triple-stops prominently, and the collection is considered the one that best displays the performer's left-hand technique.
• Rather than depicting nature as in The Four Seasons, it foregrounds a restrained elegance suited to the court — one can hear traces of him tuning himself to his patron's taste.