In addition to being partially indebted to his future critic Benedetto Marcello (who would attack his weaknesses, especially those of the theatrical world of the time in the satirical libretto “Il Teatro alla Moda”), Vivaldi is decisively influenced by the musical practice of the Cappella di San Marco, particularly in the use of echo effects and “double choirs.”
The astonishing novelty, which resulted in his subsequent international success, is represented in Vivaldi's career by the publication in Amsterdam in 1725 of Op. 8, Il Cimento dell’Armonia e dell’Invenzione, a set of twelve concertos in which the solo figure of the violin emerges definitively. Aside from La tempesta di mare, Il Piacere, and La caccia, whose titles mainly refer to sound effects, it is the first four concertos, La primavera, L’estate, L’autunno, and L’inverno—the Four Seasons—that form a true “musical program.” Some have tried to count the number of performances and recordings of this masterpiece, only to stop before almost incalculable figures, which clearly set it apart from the honorary position of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
This descriptive music, written by a man of the theater, is so rich in effects, imitations, and winks that it quickly feels familiar to the broader public, captivating listeners with the technique it demands from the soloist. “To finish, he improvised a cadenza that left everyone astonished, one that had never been played and will never be played again. His fingers reached a hair’s breadth from the bridge and on all four strings, with a speed that seemed incredible to all,” writes a witness: the soloist Vivaldi had in mind was himself.