plenty of inspiration for a piece to be called La Primavera, ‘The
Spring’. Vivaldi has fun creating a vivid instrumental sketch of the
riverbank with its birdsong, the murmur of water and a breeze
rustling through the trees and reeds. So he is displeased to find his
first listeners fail to recognise his musical landscape. After the
required polite applause the small, informal audience of court
noblemen return without further comment to their conversation.
But they are not getting away with it this time. The priest asks
outright if they have understood the imagery with which he has
just regaled their ears, and they have to admit they have not. A
short, explanatory talk follows, in which Vivaldi gives examples of
musical description, and finally the light begins to dawn. Never
before have they heard such things. He gets the orchestra to repeat
the entire performance, and now it is greeted with exclamations of
recognition and delight. For this is surely more than mere
entertainment – this is art!
Later in the evening, when Antonio and Paolina are alone
together again, he takes the opportunity to share his concerns with
her. ‘The trouble with people nowadays is that they have no
imagination,’ he moans. Paolina looks up from her reading and
nods. ‘Perhaps you should write it all down for them,’ she suggests,
returning to her book. A surly Antonio continues packing up a set
of new work ready to post to the Bohemian duke. He is curious as
to what his lordship will make of it.
The summer creeps by with agonising slowness. As always, things
are quiet at court, far too quiet for Antonio Vivaldi. He misses
Venice, the dynamism, the tourists, the gossip and the plotting and
scheming, and most of the theatre. Although, if he is honest, life in
Venice was hard; every production meant new financial risks. Here
at court he can grow old gracefully; put on operas to his heart’s
content without ever worrying about the cash side of things; all
that is taken care of in advance. And he has no competition. So
what more could he want?
Maybe it is just that. Perhaps it’s the lack of competitive
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