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In 2008 the recognizable Baroque tune "Spring" from "The Four Seasons" by Vivaldi is most popularized by cell phone ringtones.
But now the real deal can be heard from Grammy Award-Winning violinist Joshua Bell on his newly released album "Vivaldi: The Four Seasons" (Sony Classics, 2008).
The imagery-filled work was written in 1723 for solo violin and chamber orchestra in four violin concertos: "Spring," "Summer," "Autumn" and "Winter." Each concerto paints a picture of each respective season by exploring the colors of music - birds chirping, icy snow falling and thunderstorms crashing.
Four sonnets, originally written in Italian, accompany the piece and tell a story about each season. Bell offers a fresh interpretation of the piece, slowly unraveling original ideas throughout his recording. His natural, subtle embellishments stand out from his smooth, elegant tone.
The Baroque scholar said his recording was a heavily personal interpretation.
"You will never hear two versions of "The Four Seasons" that are alike, which is why I think there is always room for another view of the piece," Bell said in a news release. "My version is very personal."
"Summer's Presto" is highly recommended to new listeners. The driving bass transcends musical eras, delivering an intense flavor that listeners can rock out to. Listening to the piece in its 40-minute entirety allows the listener to experience the cyclical nature of the seasons as a whole.
Bell, well known for his romantic interpretations and emotionally enthralling performances, said he likes a more gutsy interpretation of the piece.
"One could go overboard and make everything too pretty, and it's nice to have the gutsier side of Baroque music," Bell said. "The [players] I admire in Baroque music really dig into it, and the violinists play with great abandon. I think with "The Four Seasons" you can't be too deferential."
Bell teamed up with well-known chamber ensemble Academy of St. Martin in the Fields for the album.
"This particular recording we did at the culmination of a big tour where we played "The Four Seasons" night after night, and from night to night we changed things, experimented with things and everyone had suggestions," Bell said. "It was very much a team feeling."
The scholarly team recorded the entire album conductorless. Bell said he preferred giving the orchestra a sense of control.
"When you don't have a conductor you also have a different feeling with the orchestra, because they feel much more empowered," Bell said.
Bell recorded the album on his estimated $4 million Gibson Stradivarius, a violin made in the Baroque period by one of the world's greatest luthiers Antonio Stradivari.
Bell has premiered several best-selling recordings and dazzling performances on his recent purchase including "The Red Violin Concerto" (Sony Classics, 2007) and "Romance of the Violin" (Sony, 2003).
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