April 25, 2015

"V" is for Vivaldi

One of my favourite composers is the Baroque genius Antonio Vivaldi who hails from the city of VeniceI love his stirring set of violin concertos known as The Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. If you’d like to listen to my favourite concerto, follow this link to a performance of Spring on YouTube




Performances of Vivaldi’s music are often held at the church of Santa Maria della Pieta, now known as Vivaldi’s church, on the Riva degli Schiavone not far from Piazza San Marco.


Santa Maria della Pieta, Vivaldi's Church


Another popular concert venue is the ballroom of Ca’ Rezzonico in the Dorsoduro neighbourhood. This beautiful palazzo on the Grand Canal is now the site of the Museum of Eighteenth Century Venice.


Ballroom of Ca' Rezzonico, Venice


We didn't attend any concerts during our stay because I'd been to a performance of The Four Seasons in London a few years ago (and my daughter's not a fan of classical music) but it would have been amazing to hear Vivaldi's greatest work performed in such beautiful surroundings in his hometown of Venice.


Performance of The Four Seasons, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London


The Four Seasons is also now celebrated in a pizza, the Quattro Stagione. This pizza is divided into four sections and the ingredients on each section represent the seasons: artichoke hearts for spring; olives for summer; mushrooms for autumn; and prosciutto for winter.


Quattro Stagione Pizza



I love Vivaldi. I love pizza. It’s not hard to guess what I chose from the restaurant menu!

What's your favourite kind of pizza?


6 comments:

  1. My favorite pizza is mushrooms. I also enjoy Vivaldi. That ballroom is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pizza is my favorite food. I try to only eat it twice a year though or I'd be as round as one. My favorite is mushroom and green pepper, but I make a really good barbecued chicken pizza.

    Life After Retirement - My Russian Adventure

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Only once or twice a year? What willpower! I'd hate to tell you how many I'd eat in a year.

      Delete
  3. I am a huge vivaldi fan myself, living in the netherlands.
    i saw a conertante version of vivaldi's la fida ninfa on april 18 in amsterdam. maybe some of you is interested in watching it, so i pass on the links to you:

    part 1:

    https://www.youtube.com/embed/BDXnEhcgOAk

    part 2:

    https://www.youtube.com/embed/eVfuurvDWYo

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