Winter (Vivaldi) (Download)

from The Four Seasons

Brian Slawson

Level: Medium

Duration: 3:30

Personnel: 10 players

State Lists: Florida | Indiana

Release Date: 2009

Product ID : TSPCE-27DL

Price: $40.00

Item #: TSPCE-27DL

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Note: flute on recording is not included in the arrangement.
Recording from "Bach on Wood Variations" courtesy of Belltone Records.

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Description

Antonio Vivaldi is well-known as the Baroque composer of one of the most famous string pieces in history, The Four Seasons. Written in his distinctive style, Winter features melodies often broken into small phrases with forceful, syncopated rhythms, making it a perfect subject for percussion adaptation.

This arrangement for Winter has been heard worldwide on the popular album Bach on Wood which helped garner Brian Slawson a Grammy nomination for “Best New Classical Artist.”

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Instrumentation

Crotales
2 glockenspiels
Chimes
Vibraphone
4 marimbas—(3) 4-octave, (1) low C
32" timpano drum
High and low sleigh bells

Reviews

The first movement from Antonio Vivaldi’s “Winter: Four Seasons” violin concerto is one of the more well-known portions of these masterpieces. Brian Slawson has orchestrated a large keyboard ensemble to bring this work to the percussion world. He uses ten performers playing four marimbas (three if two players share), two glockenspiels, vibraphone, crotales, chimes, high and low sleighbells, and a 32-inch timpani.

Faithfully transcribing the original into the four marimba parts with player one as the solo voice, Slawson uses the metallic instruments as supporting color, filling out the continuo part in the vibes and rhythmic stability in the sleighbells. The solo part has rapid scalar passages and several skips that can be handled by talented high school students and most college students. With some work on a few bars at the end, most high school students could play the accompanying parts, even though the tempo is brisk.

This piece is on Slawson’s album Bach On Wood, with a flute playing the solo part, but this particular arrangement has the marimba taking the lead line.

Although the colors suit the piece very well, only the first movement has been arranged, and it is short for a featured solo, lasting just under four minutes. Slawson’s orchestration of the entire composition would have been a welcomed addition to this publication.

–Brian Zator
Percussive Notes
Vol. 48, No. 4, July 2010