On December 14, 1725, the Gazette d’Amsterdam announced the issuance by the local publisher Michele Carlo Le Cène of a collection of twelve concertos for solo violin and orchestra by Antonio Vivaldi — Il Cimento dell’Armonia e dell’Inventione, or “The Contest between Harmony and Invention,” Op. 8. The works were printed with a flowery dedication typical of the time to the Bohemian Count Wenzel von Morzin, a distant cousin of Joseph Haydn’s patron before he came into the employ of the Esterházy family in 1761. On the title page, Vivaldi described himself as the “maestro in Italy” to the Count, though there is no record of his having held a formal position with him. Vivaldi probably met Morzin when he worked in Mantua from 1718 to 1720 for the Habsburg governor of that city, Prince Philipp of Hessen-Darmstadt, and apparently provided the Bohemian Count with an occasional composition on demand. (A bassoon concerto, RV 496, is headed with Morzin’s name.)

Vivaldi claimed that Morzin had been enjoying the concertos of Le Cène’s Op. 8 publication “for some years,” indicating earlier composition dates and a certain circulation of this music in manuscript copies, and hoped that their appearance in print would please his patron. The first four concertos, those depicting the seasons of the year, seem to have especially excited Morzin’s admiration, and quickly became among Vivaldi’s most popular works. A pirated edition appeared in Paris within weeks of the Amsterdam publication, and by 1728, the concertos had become regular items on the programs of the Concert Spirituel in Paris. The Spring Concerto was adapted in 1755 as an unaccompanied flute solo by Jean Jacques Rousseau, the philosopher and dilettante composer who was attracted by the work’s musical portrayal of Nature, and as a motet (!) by Michel Corrette to the text “Laudate Dominum de coelis” in 1765. Today, The Four Seasons remains Vivaldi’s best-known work, one of the most beloved and frequently recorded compositions in the orchestral repertory.

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Accordion virtuoso and composer Julien Labro wrote of the inspiration, method and intent of his Vivaldi 23.5, commissioned by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, which took The Four Seasons as its creative starting point:

“Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons stands as one of the most iconic works in the classical canon, instantly recognizable across a broad spectrum of media. From the soundtrack of your favorite Netflix series to the curated playlists of classical radio stations, its melodies have become so deeply woven into the cultural fabric that they transcend their original Baroque context, effortlessly bridging the gap between centuries-old craftsmanship and contemporary sensibilities.

“My intention was to manipulate the central themes of The Four Seasons, exploring various musical pathways and diversions to ultimately craft a new and innovative composition. My goal was to play with the listener’s familiarity with the original work, allowing them to sense it without immediately recognizing what it is. This concept had long been a challenge to me — one I had hesitated to pursue, waiting for the ‘right’ moment. However, with the arrival of 2025, the year marking the 300th anniversary of its publication, the opportunity felt both timely and significant.

“A few key insights soon became apparent: I needed to devise a strategy that would allow me to springboard from the original themes, recontextualizing and appropriating them within a fresh and inventive framework. To begin, I distanced myself from the original instrumentation, opting instead for a completely different solo instrument — the accordion — complemented by a full symphony orchestra. This decision created a distinct sonic palette, offering new textures and landscapes for the reimagined work. In terms of form, I chose to merge each original multi-movement concerto into a single, continuous movement. Each Season is thus distilled into a unified structure and movement, enabling a seamless and dynamic exploration of the underlying material. Harmonically and rhythmically, my aim was to weave a more personal narrative while still honoring the brilliance of Vivaldi’s masterpiece. I sought to strike a delicate balance between preserving the integrity of the original themes and incorporating my own voice, fostering a conversation between tradition and innovation. Achieving this balance has proven to be a formidable challenge, requiring both precision and sensitivity to honor both the past and the present. Ultimately, this reimagination could only exist because of the extraordinary foundation laid by the original. Every artistic choice was made with the intention of honoring and celebrating its enduring legacy, ensuring that the timeless power of The Four Seasons continues to resonate across generations.”