The voice adopts the tone of the poetry, fierce and forward when speaking of Summer’s angst and softer and more lyrical when seeking to persuade and flatter. The stark open chords in the piano represent the harshness and heat of Summer’s unrelenting character, while the horn solo represents the attempts of the narrator, speaking for the people, to calm and relinquish said heat.

“To Summer” contains two key musical elements which weave together throughout the movement. These four poems, “To Summer,” “To Autumn,” “To Winter,” and “To Spring,” address each of the seasons in colorfully characteristic ways, expressing unique personality traits and revealing interesting glimpses into the interaction of the seasons with the people of the land. To the Seasons is a four-movement work for soprano, horn and piano which sets four poems by William Blake. This release rewards the listener on many levels.The composition was written in 2009 for a doctoral dissertation in horn performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The technical demands do not hinder him, do not call attention to themselves or him. His balancing of textures brings out the many melodic strands and harmonic treasures.

His unself-conscious and seemingly effortless expression has a broad and appealing range, without resorting to the maudlin. Architectural shaping of the pieces comes easy to him. “Biegel brings a lush sound and elastic sense of rhythm to his interpretations. This is complemented by equally effective arrangements by Andrew Gentile of two of Vivaldi’s other beloved concertos for mandolin and lute. Bach when he transcribed a number of Vivaldi’s other concertos for keyboard, this disc presents a sparkling new version of The Four Seasons for solo piano by Jeffrey Biegel. Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons are among the most popular of Baroque concertos and have inspired musicians to perform them in their original form and in many different guises.įollowing the lead given by J.S.

Four seasons piano