The Four Seasons

In Locatelli’s graceful Concerto grosso, the musicians can shine in short solo passages. Vivaldi, who was also a brilliant violinist like his contemporary Locatelli, shows his mastery in The Four Seasons. In its day, this classical work was already enormously popular. It evokes scenes of babbling brooks, singing birds, a barking dog, buzzing flies, storms, drunken dancers, frozen landscapes and a crackling winter fire. 

In the Divertimento for strings, one of the great 20th-century compositions for strings, Bartók blends folk dances with baroque elements. The light, swinging outer sections form a stark contrast with the slow, chilling middle section, which thereby gains even greater depth.